" Salut à toi", " Porcherie ", " Vive le feu ", " Scarabée " or " Ainsi squattent-ils "... If you now have one of these songs in your head, then your adolescence was inevitably marked by the punk and committed universe of Bérurier noir. Founded in 1983 by Fanfan and Loran in the squats of Paris's 20th arrondissement, the French band Bérurier noir has undeniably left its mark on the history of the French punk movement. This winter and spring, the BnF ( Site François-Mitterrand) honors this famous band's short (1983-1989) but rich career with an exhibition entitled " Dans les archives de FanXoa et mastO de Bérurier Noir " .
On view from February 27 to April 28, 2024, this free exhibition takes fans and the curious back in time, following in the footsteps of this seminal band of the 1980s music scene, thanks to a number of incredibly well-preserved archives. For the record, two former members of Bérurier noir, singer Fanfan or FanXoa (François Guillemot) and saxophonist mastO (Thomas Heuer), donated a series of their archives to BnF's Music Department in 2021, testifying to the richness of the French punk movement.
For this original exhibition, presented to the general public from February 27 to April 28 2024, the Galerie des donateurs at the BnF François-Mitterrand has decided to reveal only a tiny part of these impressive archives. You should also know that some of these archives will gradually be made available online on Gallica, the BnF's digital library, from spring 2024.
So, what can we expect with this installation " Dans les archives de FanXoa et mastO de Bérurier Noir " ? Situated at the end of a long corridor in the BnF, the small Donors' Gallery displays around a hundred items that belonged to FanXoa and mastO : from notebooks to black-and-white photographs and a few video extracts, not forgetting stage props (a stage trunk, the " Dédé " drum machine from the group Bérurier Noir, stage masks, mastO's drum decorated by artist Muzo, pig and clown false noses...).
There are also models ofposters (the poster for a concert given by Bérurier Noir and Lucrate Milk in a Geneva squat in 1983, designed by Fanfan) and album covers such as"Abracadaboum!" and"Nada 84", as well as original drawings.
The exhibition also unveils the setlist for the Bérurier Noir concert given on April 27, 1984 at the Lormont Social Center, Bérurier Noir badges sold in the 1980s, a ticket for one of Bérurier Noir's three farewell concerts at the Olympia in November 1989, and the Vietnamese jacket worn by Fanfan between 1983 and 1985...
There's also a black & white photo of Loran taken at the Montreuil flea market in 1983. Another key member of Bérurier Noir, now guitarist with Les Ramoneurs de menhirs, Loran declined to take part in this project. He is the great absentee of this installation. A varied exhibition that invites us to follow Bérurier noir's career, but not only. " Dans les archives de FanXoa et mastO de Bérurier Noir " is also an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the creation of the alternative rock scene in France and the birth of the musical counter-culture of the early 1980s, against the backdrop of the socio-political context.
Visit the BnF François-Mitterrand (Galerie des donateurs) to discover " Dans les archives de FanXoa et mastO de Bérurier Noir " free of charge, and delve into the history of this legendary French punk band and the French alternative rock scene.
Dates and Opening Time
From February 27, 2024 to April 28, 2024
Location
BnF - Site François Mitterrand
Quai François Mauriac
75013 Paris 13
Prices
Free
Official website
www.bnf.fr
More information
Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 1pm to 7pm Closed Mondays and public holidays
