Culture and heritage
Celesta, service provider living heritage.
A castle courtyard, a church nave, a forecourt, a quarry, a listed park: almost none of these venues were designed to host an evening performance. It is the venue itself that dictates the constraints, and Celesta creates her work based on her own observations of the space, never from a catalogue.
The crux of the matter
A room is waiting for you. A monument puts up with you.
A theatre is designed to captivate, engage and release. A heritage site is not: everything that is taken for granted elsewhere is subject to negotiation there, and that is precisely where Celesta comes into its own.
In a room
What goes without saying
- Pre-fitted and loaded anchor points
- Available electrical power at the workstation
- A full black achieved in a single pass
- Emergency exits sized to meet the capacity requirements
- A stage manager who is already familiar with the venue
On a website
What is up for negotiation
- Each support point, agreed with the manager
- Energy, often supplied and soundproofed
- Black, which depends on nearby street lighting
- People walking on uneven ground
- The cut-off time, set by ministerial order rather than by the notice
What the venue dictates
Six constraints that the programme never mentions.
They do not appear in any quote, yet they determine what is possible. Celesta notes them down during the storyboarding stage, before drawing the first frame.
01
The material of the frame
Limestone, slate, brick, traditional timber framing: each material has its own safe distance and heat tolerance. Celesta tailors the colour palette to these factors, not the other way round.
02
The administration’s perspective
On a listed site, the agreement is drawn up with the site manager and, depending on the listing status, with the Architecte des Bâtiments de France. This consultation process begins months in advance, not the day before.
03
The resident who is asleep
The order sets out the curfew and the permissible noise level. A shot is calculated before it is fired, and the issue of noise is decided at the site survey stage, never after the first complaint has been made.
04
Victory is not yet assured
A streetlight, a sign or a nearby car park are enough to make a painting disappear. The act of switching off is requested from the local council and forms part of the sequence as an effect in its own right.
05
The audience is very close
Whether in a courtyard or on a forecourt, a safe distance is not achieved by stepping back. It is achieved in other ways: spatial effects, height, orientation, and a perimeter that Celesta defines in relation to the space.
06
What remains afterwards
Fallout, markings, turf, gravel: the restoration work is checked point by point with the site manager, and this determines whether authorisation will be granted for the next event.
The sequence of events
Site survey for refurbishment.
Six stages, only one of which is visible. The other five explain why the site remains intact.
01
Location
Celesta visits the site with her site manager: materials, support points, underground utilities, fire access, and the surrounding area. This site survey determines everything that follows.
02
Writing
The narrative is shaped by the architecture and history of the site, anchored in the passage of time. The place is not merely a backdrop: it is the main character.
03
The instruction
Prefecture declaration, the property manager’s approval, consultation with the Architecte des Bâtiments de France if the site requires it, and submission of an application to the DGAC for drone flights.
04
The editing
Five to eight hours on site, with protective measures put in place before any equipment is brought in. Nothing touches the stone without a protective layer, and each point of contact is photographed before and after.
05
The performance
The start is timed to the second, as planned months earlier. Celesta is in charge of the production control room and remains the sole point of contact for the venue for the duration of the performance.
06
Restoration
Monitoring of fallout, clean-up, and a joint inspection report with the site manager. It is this phase that determines whether the site will reopen to you the following year.
Three formats
The same handwriting, three ways to play it.
A festival, a concert and a cultural project do not share the same schedule, the same sponsor or the same venue constraints. The approach, however, remains the same.
Each format has its own page, with its own specific constraints and realisations: festivals, where the performance forms part of a programme put together by others; concerts and shows, which are governed by the temporal constraints of a live performance; and cultural projects, where the work or the venue dictates the narrative. Celesta conceives, produces and handles all three directly, without intermediaries for production control.
Key points
What Celesta might announce even before seeing the venue.
Four floors and a threshold. These are not dependent on the venue or the size of the event, and no competitor is currently offering them.
Orders of magnitude
on a per-performance basis
Costed proposal
within 48 hours
A bespoke show
3 to 6 months
Permission to set off a fireworks display
At least 1 month
Authorisation for a drone flight
A minimum of 45 days
On-site survey
systematic
Drone light show, from
10 000 €
Let’s talk about it
Tell us the location. We’ll tell you what it does.
A courtyard, a façade, a park, a nave: send us the address, your preferred dates and your requirements. Celesta will reply within 48 hours with an initial quote and a list of any site constraints that have already been identified.
Frequently Asked Questions
What the programmers ask first.
Is it allowed to set off a fireworks display above a listed monument?
Yes, but the materials used vary. Distances, heights, products and anchor points are agreed with the site manager. That is why Celesta surveys the site before writing the music, and not the other way round.
Is approval from the Architecte des Bâtiments de France required?
This depends on the listing status and the nature of the installation. As soon as an anchor, structure or protrusion comes into contact with the building or its protected surroundings, consultation is required. Celesta prepares the necessary documentation and supports the organiser throughout this process.
How is the venue secured during the performance?
Through interfaces installed before any materials are laid, a photographic record of the site before and after, and a perimeter calculated to ensure that no hot fallout falls onto the building structure. The final inspection is carried out with the site manager, point by point.
Is it possible to stage a performance indoors, beneath a nave?
Yes, using a different range of effects: cold effects, thick fog, sound and light, and drone flights where the volume and ceiling height allow. We opt for bespoke solutions, never off-the-shelf options.
How long should a cultural season last?
Allow 3 to 6 months for a bespoke show. On top of this, there are administrative lead times, which run in parallel without overlapping with the creative process: a minimum of 1 month for a fireworks display, and a minimum of 45 days for a drone light flight.
What happens if a drought order is issued?
The prefect may ban all filming. Celesta therefore writes each scenario with a fallback plan: switching to a version with no fallout, increasing the lighting and drone coverage, or postponing the shoot under supervised conditions. The decision rests with the competent authority.