"C'est mon patrimoine"
in collaboration with artist and author Ramona Badescu & Benoît Guillaume
THE PROJECT
How do we inhabit the sea? How do humans and non-humans coexist in and around this vast and fragile space that is the Mediterranean Sea? Viewed from the Camargo Foundation, this infinite sea on the horizon constitutes a millennial heritage that nourishes both the literary imagination and scientific research. It is also at the heart of increasingly in-depth analyses on the anthropogenic impact, often destructive, on this complex ecosystem. It is this multiple and fascinating heritage that inspires the artists in residence at the Camargo Foundation. These landscapes and heritage sites are indeed an essential component of the Foundation's identity, as evidenced by the interest they have long generated among painters, including Jerome Hill, the artist founder of this place. Nestled in Cassis, near the Calanques National Park and the immense cliff of Cap Canaille, Camargo preserves and promotes this heritage within a remarkable natural and anthropogenic ecosystem.
As part of the C'est mon patrimoine 2025 initiative, the Camargo Foundation is committed to supporting and encouraging the discovery of the surrounding Mediterranean landscapes and the architectural and natural heritage of the campus.
AN IMMERSIVE PROJECT CO-CONSTRUCTED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TOULON
The "C'est mon patrimoine" program is built around a fundamental principle: offering young people an in-depth exploration of natural and architectural heritage through artistic creation. Over six days in autumn 2025, participants aged 8 to 15 from the Centre Social de Toulon Ouest discovered the Camargo Foundation and its maritime coastline, guided by artists Ramona Badescu and Benoit Guillaume.
As a result of preliminary meetings between the educational team, the artists, and the Foundation, a tailor-made program was developed to favor a personalized approach and explorations at different paces.
Each day was structured around three key moments: observation of natural and architectural heritage, a painting workshop exploring underwater landscapes and mineral and plant forms, and a writing workshop where each participant recorded in a "word-gathering notebook" their visual, emotional, and auditory perceptions of the maritime space.
The project concluded with a presentation at the Centre Social de Toulon Ouest, conceived as a residency closing event. The creations were exhibited and shared with families during a convivial moment combining exhibition installation, collective exchanges, and a shared meal – strengthening the bonds between participants, teams, and families around this shared experience.
Ramona Badescu
Born in 1980 in southern Romania, Ramona Badescu arrived at the age of 10 in the south of France, where she has lived ever since. She studied theater and began her first artistic works there. Her interest in the text-image dialogue often leads her beyond the theatrical field, into children's literature, but also poetry, photography, or documentary film. She has published around thirty children's books now translated into some twenty languages, including the "Pomelo" album series. The question of passing time, transformation, and sensitive dialogue with nature and the beings that compose it are her main working directions.
Several prizes, in France and abroad, have honored her works, such as the Paris ce livre prize, Livre en tête, Peter Pan (Netherlands), or the Madrid Booksellers' Prize.
She co-directed two documentary films with Jeff Silva: "Là où la terre" (2018) - co-produced by Théâtre du Merlan, Scène Nationale, Marseille; international premiere at Doc Lisboa - and "L'ordre des choses" (2022).
Recent publications:"Viens!", picture book, photographs by the author, ed. Les grandes personnes, 2024 (work chosen by the Manosque maternity hospital as a "birth book," currently given to babies born there); "À Paris" (reissue), picture book, ill. Joëlle Jolivet, ed. Les grandes personnes, 2024; "Les yeux Fayoum", poems ill. Benoît Guillaume ed. Le port a jauni, 2024; "L'heure égyptienne", poems ill. Benoît Guillaume ed. Le port a jauni, 2023
Benoît Guillaume
Benoît Guillaume was born in 1976. After studying applied arts, he worked for a time as a graphic designer before turning entirely to drawing.
He is the author of several comic books, fiction or documentary, published by Sarbacane, Actes-Sud, Cambourakis.
He particularly practices drawing from nature. He is co-founder of the Marseille-based publishing structure Mineolux. His illustrations regularly accompany poems published by the publishing house Le Port a jauni, notably with Ramona Badescu. He has often traveled but now spends too much time in his Marseille studio.
Recent publications:"Ça depende des animaux"; "Made in India"; "L'heure égyptienne"; "Les yeux fayoum"; "Terrains vagues" for the publishing house Le Port a jauni.
Partnerships with schools
