The “Chemin des art,” known as “Camin dei Art” in Niçois, was inaugurated this Wednesday, September 20, by Mr. Georges-François Leclerc, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, and Professor Joël Guigay, General Director of the Center. The artist Sylvie T., who painted all the works, was present.
Opera, blue chairs, Matisse museum, old town… The heart of the tunnel is a catalog of paintings showcasing Niçois heritage and architecture. It begins or ends with a green wall and soothing birdsongs. The lights illuminate the soft watercolor and Chinese ink paintings like a gallery. The Chemin des arts now offers a walk through Nice to the 800 people passing daily in the tunnel that connects Wings A and B of the Antoine Lacassagne Center.
Founded in 1961, the latter is one of the 18 centers fighting cancer and treats all types of cancer. Its ambition is to provide all its patients with the medical innovations of tomorrow: personalized medicine, immunotherapy, proton therapy…
After the visit, the Center’s General Director, Professor Joël Guigay, explains the evolution of the tunnel and the meeting with the artist Sylvie T. The Camin dei Art initially replaced a dark tunnel. Then it transformed into a passage displaying children’s drawings. Considering the damages and thanks to the meeting between Mr. Guigay and the painter, the idea was born to make this passage a place of artistic escape. Today, the walls are decorated in the colors of Nice. “The idea is to make patients travel,” explains Sylvie T. “Before us, the heritage of Nice unfolds like a landscape discovered while walking.”
“Now I deliberately pass through there”
“Before, I was apprehensive about passing through, it made my heart heavy, it was a passage, but a difficult passage for me. Now, I deliberately pass through there,” has been repeated several times to Mr. Guigay. The Chemin des arts changes the daily life of the staff and the environment of the patients. Moreover, studies have proven the stimulation art and culture have on patients. “To fight the disease, one must escape,” concludes the director.
The prefect seriously speaks about the daily lives of patients and highlights the benevolence of the Chemin des arts. “We have great French medicine, we also have anti-cancer products, we have a great center. But this anti-cancer center pays particular attention to this environment. Behind the patient, we treat not only the pathology but also the man and woman with their doubts,” solemnly says Mr. Leclerc. “Maybe a patient will focus on a drawing among others, thinking ‘When I feel better, I will go there’.”
The inauguration concluded beautifully with Niçois polyphonic songs, including “Nissa la Bella.” The singers’ concert, which took place on May 14 and was organized by Les Amis de Lacassagne, allowed for the rehabilitation of the tunnel. The center could also count on faithful allies like the Lions Club Nice Etoile and the companies Elior and GSF.
