From Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5, 2026, the Parc Calouste Gulbenkian in Benerville-sur-Mer hosts the second edition of "Jardins de l'Avenir" (Gardens of the Future). Conceived as a weekend of welcome, creation, and coexistence, the festival brings together choreography, installations, exhibitions, workshops, and trails to explore this garden as a meeting place between art and nature.

For this second edition of "Jardins de l'Avenir," the Parc Calouste Gulbenkian is envisioned as a melting pot of migrant identities, where different cultures meet and blend.

The program combines choreographic pieces, exhibitions, sound and video installations, dance and gardening workshops, complemented by birdwatching tours and visits to the park's tree heritage, as well as activities for young audiences.

The Parc Calouste Gulbenkian, originally named Parc des Enclos, was designed as a refuge. Calouste Gulbenkian — an Armenian industrialist, collector, and patron forced into exile in Europe in the early 20th century — spent his life creating gardens that served as temporary and fragile sanctuaries. Interrupted by the Second World War, the Enclos project was ultimately never completed.

An on-site exhibition by artist Daniel Blaufuks will explore this aspiration to make the garden a place of asylum, however precarious.

Two choreographic pieces will move through the park's space in an itinerant way:

In Les Oiseaux ("The Birds"), choreographer Lenio Kaklea stages the behavior of these animals, whose migrations unfold on a planetary scale. Performed by seven human dancers and a drone, the piece depicts a group of hybrid beings engaged in a virtuosic dance, in unstable balance between emancipation and constraint.

The collective Une Bonne Masse Solaire approaches the park through a nomadic choreography called Mobiles. Recreated for this site, it draws public attention to perceptions of wind, sun, and humidity, turning the garden into a porous space, open to interaction with the world.

"Jardins de l'Avenir" is commissioned by the Gulbenkian Foundation – Delegation in France. The project is produced by abd, an association accredited by the DRAC Île-de-France. It is carried out in partnership with Chorège CDCN Falaise Normandie, the City of Deauville, and Les Franciscaines.

Curated by Lou Forster, exhibition curator, dramaturge, and art historian, in collaboration with Sylvain Martinel, head of the Green Spaces Department of the City of Deauville, for the gardening workshops.

Program for Saturday, July 4, 2026

Gardening workshops: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm / 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm

• Presentation of techniques and tips, based on examples of already decorated objects.
• Hands-on workshop creating floral compositions from recycled objects.

Guided tour of the park's tree heritage: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm / 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

• Discovery of the park's tree species.
• Botanical exploration: maintenance, wood quality, uses, and tree diagnostics.

Choreographic piece "Les Oiseaux" – Lenio Kaklea: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

• A performance blending dance and song inspired by bird behavior.
• A reflection on freedom, control, and collective dynamics.

Program for Sunday, July 5, 2026

Dance workshop "Faire Oiseau" ("Becoming Bird"): 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

• Led by Nefeli Asteriou.
• Exploration of the gestural vocabulary developed for Les Oiseaux.
• Individual and collective exercises inspired by bird behavior.

"Mobiles" – Theatrical performance: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

• By the collective Une Bonne Masse Solaire.
• An on-site performance about landscape, air, climate, and perception.

Birdwatching and environmental listening workshop: 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

• Led by Grégoire Chauvot.
• Discovery of the park's birdlife.
• A sensory approach to listening to and observing birds.

Program available all weekend

Exhibition and screening of works by Daniel Blaufuks: 10:30 am – 5:30 pm

• Exploring the intertwined history of the Gulbenkian parks in Deauville and Cascais.
• Themes: exile, memory, the garden as a place of welcome and care.
• Guided tours:
  • Saturday: with Daniel Blaufuks and Lou Forster.
  • Sunday: with Lou Forster.

Sound piece by Mélia Roger and Grégoire Chauvot: 10:30 am – 5:30 pm

• A sound installation about birds and soundscapes.
• Playback of a recording made near a body of water in a rural setting.

Practical Information

• Dates: July 3–5, 2026
• Hours: 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
• Location: Parc des Enclos Calouste Gulbenkian, Bénerville-sur-Mer
• Access: Free, by reservation
• Food: Local and organic food trucks