Once Upon a Time in the East

Bespoke creation in Cœur de Pays Haut
Collecting residents’ stories on the theme of adolescence

“Once Upon a Time in the East” is a regional community project led for the past 2 years in Cœur de Pays Haut (54) at the initiative of Scènes et Territoires, with the support of the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departmental Council.

In this unique territory, consisting of 25 municipalities and 23,000 inhabitants, the landscape and collective memories are deeply marked by iron mines and the steel industry. But what is essential is invisible to the eye (much like the 40,000 km of galleries dug underground).

The Company’s artists have designed a multifaceted program, including performances, residencies, workshops, meetings, and the collection of documents and stories, to bring these buried realities to light. With a universal perspective common to all, across eras and territories: adolescence.

This beautiful adventure, rich and singular, can be adapted to other regions, other stories, other destinies, and other residents!

Below you will find the words of everyone involved. These are shortened versions. We invite you to download the full “journal” version of these intertwined portraits as a PDF in the “Resources” section on the left.

You can discover the 30 illustrated testimonies on the Devenir(S) website dedicated to the collection and sharing of adolescent stories.

Telling the story of a territory through the lens of adolescence

Benoit Faivre: Artistic Co-director of Cie La Bande Passante.
Head of the Devenir(S) cycle dedicated to adolescence and associated regional projects.

“Work on adolescence is part of the company’s artistic research. It always comes down to the question of how we build ourselves as individuals. A few years ago, we launched a new documentary cycle based on adolescent narratives titled Devenir(S), during which we collected numerous adolescent stories. We designed a website to bring these adolescent voices together and connect them across space and time.”

“Once Upon a Time in the East provided a new scope for this project. During this residency, we worked with teenagers so that they could collect the stories of former teenagers from other generations. These narratives have thus joined stories from other collection efforts. The project Once Upon a Time in the East, bespoke-designed to tell the story of a territory, is therefore part of a larger whole that it helps to illuminate.“

An artistic residency with the students of Joliot-Curie middle school in Tucquegnieux

Camille Pereira is the Cultural Director of Scènes et Territoires, the organization behind the invitation of La Bande Passante to Cœur de Pays Haut

“Scènes et Territoires supports local authorities in analyzing needs and defining the cultural challenges specific to their territory. The assessment we conducted with the Communauté de Communes Cœur de Pays Haut revealed a desire for a project that explores how mining towns have shaped landscapes and memories. We naturally thought of La Bande Passante, their performance ‘Au Fond’, and their ‘Devenir(S)’ project for its approach to collecting intimate adolescent narratives.”

“In collaboration with local authorities, we worked with various audiences. We first began with a residency at Joliot Curie middle school in Tucquegnieux, then sought out new partners based on what the company was building: local associations dedicated to Public Reading, Local History, and Music (Trieux 63, La Chaise Musicale).”

Back then, this was America

Tommy Laszlo: Artistic Co-director of Cie La Bande Passante. He took part in the workshops and story collections and gave this residency its Comic Book/Western dimension.

“In Cœur de Pays Haut, there are these vast territories that you cross by car. When I was looking for a title, the Western iconography that shaped my adolescence came to mind, along with the image of a stagecoach traveling from one place to another.
And the people we met in Cœur de Pays Haut would tell us, ‘Back then, this was America.’ They made the link with the conquest of the West; the mining territory was becoming the conquest of the East.”

“The way I perceived Cœur de Pays Haut resonated with my own research into Comic Books. It’s that way of escaping through drawing: you live in the ‘Grand Est’ and with a stroke of a pencil, you can find yourself in the American Great West.“

“We explored this territory through meetups, workshops with middle school students, drawings and sketches, and musical compositions in emblematic locations. June 15th was the opportunity to bring all this artistic research together during a festive launch day at the iron church in Crusnes. With a free interactive exhibition in the afternoon and an evening performance bringing together all the artists and teenagers who took part in this work.”

An inclusive and intergenerational project to learn from our differences

Olivier Tellier: Mayor of Trieux, Vice-President for Culture, Animation, and Tourism at the Communauté de Communes Cœur de Pays Haut

“I have gotten to know the people of this territory, discovering their history, which is disappearing along with the older generations. I told myself that we had to keep a record of these testimonies and that it was important to pass on this history in the face of some people’s narrow-mindedness today.
“What matters to me is this intergenerational and inclusive work. That the people of this territory learn to know each other through their differences.”

“I might have ideas, but the artist has a vision; they know how to implement and highlight a reality. Today, we have 30 illustrated plaques spread across the territory, providing access to 30 stories via QR codes. Now, I would like us to create thematic trails in specific locations, such as in Trieux regarding the 1963 strikes, or in Tucquegnieux in the ‘La Petite Pologne’ neighborhood to talk about population diversity. I would like to go further, yes. In ten years, I want 200 stories to be accessible across our municipalities!”

Vivid, simple, and captivating stories

Laurence Moletta: sound artist and multimedia musician. She led the workshops with students from the Joliot-Curie middle school in Tucquegnieux, with whom she collected residents’ stories and produced 30 sound capsules.

“I am a composer, singer, and instrumentalist. Since 2020, I have been creating geolocated sound walks using digital applications that allow people to listen to stories while walking.”

“The unique thing about this regional project was that I was no longer alone on board. I brought a class of teenagers with me, with the goal of showing them the entire process, from conducting the interview to the final podcast-style production.“

“By using adolescent narratives as an entry point, I listened with passion to what people had to say. Former teenagers talking to today’s teenagers makes the stories vivid and relatable. What truly touched me in this mining community is the solidarity that appears in almost every account. They speak of helping one another, playing together, and the mixing of nationalities without racism. Everyone was in the same boat, and when they talk about it, you can feel they are transported; you can see the spark in their eyes.”

Moved by stories and shared memories

Inès, Loucia, and Pierre are 9th-grade students who participated in the regional story collection, particularly within their own families and circles.

Inès: “What struck me most was the hands-on aspect. I also discovered that there were mines here, and the war.”
Loucia: “What I loved was making drawings and mind maps based on the recordings.”
Pierre: “My favorite part was interviewing Claudine Matassoni; I didn’t know her before, and discovering her story really moved me.”
All: “Before ‘Once Upon a Time in the East,’ we knew nothing about Cœur de Pays Haut. We discovered a bit of its history and the reality of its residents’ lives.”

Loucia: “My dad speaks mostly Portuguese, so it was my mom, Nadine, who agreed to join in. It was a real moment of sharing; there was a lot of laughter and shared memories.”
Inès: “I interviewed my neighbor. Today he is a psychologist, and what touched me was that he didn’t enjoy his adolescence; he was sad and felt uncomfortable in his own skin. I wouldn’t have imagined that. Frédéric’s story really moved me.”
Pierre: “I interviewed my father. I’d like to say: Thank you for those moments spent with you and for the advice you gave me, Dad.”

Telling the story so we don’t forget

Emilie Henquinet is the daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of miners. She was interviewed by the students as a guest witness.

“I was very honored to be invited to Joliot-Curie middle school to be interviewed by the students. I brought my companion Stéphan Rog, who spent 30 years in the mines. My father was a miner, my grandfather was a miner, and my great-grandfather was a miner.”

“I often say that the men in my family left so much sweat in this Lorraine underground that I have a very strong bond with this land. I want to pass this heritage on to future generations. This meeting was brilliant.”

Rediscovering one’s environment, family, and history

Marie Fiefel is the lead teacher for “Once Upon a Time in the East” at Joliot-Curie middle school in Tucquegnieux.

“I believe that art, and culture in the broadest sense, are key—both to understanding the world around us and to personal fulfillment.”

“The students were curious to rediscover their environment (and for some, their own families) that they thought they already knew. It involved them in a collective process and placed them in a communicative role. Discovering the technical aspects (sound and light) also really interested them, as they need concrete experiences within a school curriculum where subjects are often very general.”

“As time goes by, I feel more and more that there is still so much to discover and that this is a territory in reconstruction. Everyone can play a part at their own level. It is quite rewarding to live in a territory where you feel you have a role to play.”

Le dessin pour tisser du lien et attiser la curiosité

Étienne Gendrin est originaire d’Alsace. Il est dessinateur et auteur de Bandes Dessinées documentaires. Il a illustré chacun des 30 récits sonores pour les plaques implantées sur le territoire et le site “Devenir(S)”.

“la BD que je pratique part toujours de rencontres. J’utilise la BD pour pour raconter des morceaux de réel qui m’ont ébloui ou touché.
J’ai plutôt un caractère doux et pas mal à me planquer, à être le scribouillard dans sa chambre sous les toits. La BD c’est un peu comme m’offrir une autre vie. J’aime être derrière l’épaule du personnage et vivre l’aventure avec lui, être dans sa psyché, dans son coeur.”

“Dans le projet “Il était une fois dans l’Est”, la résonance forte pour moi, c’est le côté histoire du quotidien. Les témoignages récoltés dans le Cœur de Pays Haut sont des petites histoires qui nous font accéder à l’Histoire du territoire, à une dynamique qui n’existe plus aujourd’hui.”

“Les illustrations pour le projet accompagnent des panneaux avec des QR codes. Ils préexistent à l’audio que vont découvrir les visiteurs avec leur téléphone. Donc il fallait trouver un juste équilibre entre donner envie et garder un effet de surprise, ne pas tout dévoiler. Je voulais que le dessin crée une curiosité dont la clé est dans l’audio. Les deux fonctionnent ensemble : l’un augmente l’autre et vice-versa.”

Music at the heart of the connection

Thomas Guiral is a multi-instrumentalist. He composed the musical soundscapes for the sound capsules.

“I met Tommy during a residency in Tucson, Arizona. I went there to learn from the local musicians and technicians. The company’s work resonated with my own research into archives. I collect musical instruments; I love using them, knowing they already have a history that influences me, even if I don’t know it.”

“I received a classical musical education; my parents were professional musicians. As a teenager, I discovered American music. I was happy to have my own musical world. It was only later that I understood that American music has been built over 300 years through the history of immigration: it is a melting pot of music from different countries and different cultures.“

“In music, there is a vibrational quality that touches the universal and creates a highway for people to meet. With people, it’s a memory that resurfaces and brings them together through emotion. We played in the living room of a former mining foreman and his wife. She told us about the day she saw Edith Piaf at the theater built by the mine. We played ‘La Foule’ for her. We were strangers, and suddenly the nature of the encounter changed.
We also visited places marked by life experiences. Very modestly, with just a guitar, I tried through my own intimacy and interpretation to convey these locations, their energy, and their history—which is beautiful and often forgotten.
Through music, I seek to become a conduit for something deeper. I create an encounter between human stories.”

“During the launch, for the first part of the evening, the idea was to accompany the teenagers’ words, the residents’ stories, and Etienne’s drawings with music that straddles pure original composition and a tribute to that American aesthetic. Bringing in those wild expanses suddenly gave Cœur de Pays Haut another dimension.
For the second, more festive part, I joined Tilmann and Evan from the band Awesome Possums. We played ‘Old-time’ American music. It’s a typical English-speaking folk music that was born from spontaneous meetings between immigrant musicians from different countries, each with their own instrument.”