Ludovic Balland’s brilliant graphic interpretation of the work at Centre Culturel Suisse

30 ans à Paris archives the work of the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris, and in his design for the book Ludovic Balland gives equal weight to text and image, past and present, conveying the impact of the Centre through fly-on-the-wall moments as well as in depth studies and conversation. The book is in two parts, the first is a history and timeline of the space told through interviews with past and present directors, archival photographs of happenings, workshops, lectures and performances and full colour photographs of the Centre’s interior and exterior architecture. The photographs depict envy-making events and give an insight to the life of the space – one with a cultural output so varied you can see why it would require such a tome.

The second half is a portrait of 30 artists who have worked with the Centre Culturel Suisse. There are visual artists, journalists and curators, and each profile is accompanied with portraits by Ludivoc and Mathilde Aigus that were taken in the homes or studios of the participants. Their intention for the portraits was that by photographing each practitioner in their own environment, it would give a sense of the impact of the work of Centre Culturel Suisse, its geographic and contextual reach.