Emma Leach spent one month living and working in central Lille as Artist in Residence, the first cross channel link between Crate and Lille-based organisation artconnexion. www.artconnexion.org With no specific outcome for this month, it was a period of research and reflection, of meeting people and forging possible networks for future practice. Away from the usual distractions on British soil, the artist found herself wandering the streets, somewhat like the character of the flaneur that has interested her for several years. She was situated somewhere between a resident and a tourist, with a status and feeling of place that changed as the month went on, and the work she produced during her stay reflects a highly ambivalent sense of community / boundaries, of belonging / isolation. Linked to this was her interest in Lille’s traditional stance as the socialist heartland of France.
