The Centre International de Recherche sur le Verre et les Arts Plastiques (Cirva) is an art centre that places creation at the heart of its project. Occupying a unique position on the world stage since 1983, it invites artists and designers to work with a precise material, glass, in an atmosphere of total freedom. At the Cirva’s studio, they are met by a team of very high-level glass technicians with whom a dialogue begins. This exchange unfolds over the course of time, a valuable resource that the Cirva nurtures by taking care not to predetermine the exact length of each collaboration. It is instrumental in allowing the artists to undertake bold experiments during which unlimited avenues of thought encounter a material with a complex and unpredictable reputation.

The Cirva has always sought to share the creative experiments being conducted in its studio with a wider audience. Both in the studio and online, the Cirva is committed to developing different formats for gathering and sharing its activities with the public in order to allow visitors to get to know the artists, their explorations, and their work with the material: its “Diling-diling” rendez-vous, organised three times a year in the workshop alongside artists, for instance, or the Incalmo series, an audio archive of the residencies at the Cirva produced with *Duuu radio. Outside, various partnerships, exhibitions, and events held at other institutions also provide opportunities for discovering the Cirva’s artworks collection and the artistic projects being carried out there.

The Cirva is a non-profit association, recognised for general interest, which has been supported since its creation by the French Ministry of Culture / regional directorate of cultural affairs Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, by the City of Marseille, by the Sud Paca regional council and the Bouches-du-Rhône departmental council.

Director: Stanislas Colodiet