About
One technical link in a collective endeavour.
Manifesto
Collective Works works alongside artists, curators, scenographers and architects on the technical demands of their projects, from public-space installations to exhibition and stage design, and projects situated between art and architecture.
Four areas of expertise:
- Visualisation. 3D modelling, photorealistic rendering, virtual reality.
- Technical studies. Structural engineering (Eurocode), materials, electrical, execution drawings.
- Site studies. Geotechnical, regulatory and environmental constraints.
- Technical direction. Fabrication liaison, coordination of contributors, on-site supervision.
These can be engaged together, across the full cycle of a project, or separately, depending on the scale of the team and the nature of the commission.
Biography, Malik Benkahla, founder
Trained as an engineer at École Centrale de Lille, Malik Benkahla turned early on to artistic and cultural projects, putting his design skills to work for contemporary creation. He began at lille3000, where he trained alongside the technical director on the design and installation of monumental works.
Since then he has worked alongside artists and producers on the development of scenographic devices and artworks, engaging in technical direction, structural design and scenographic support. He has notably led the technical coordination of the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain's 30-year anniversary exhibition, designed urban installations for several European Capitals of Culture (Mons, Esch-sur-Alzette, recent lille3000 editions) and art and design festivals (ParckDesign in Brussels, Imaginez votre ville in La Louvière, the Arts & Ocean Biennial in Nice), as well as works hosted at performance venues such as Halles de Schaerbeek and the Carreau du Temple with Pierre Larauza.
He also collaborates regularly with set-building and artwork-fabrication workshops, contributing structural engineering expertise. He has accompanied Pierre Larauza for many years in his practice as a choreographer and visual artist.