Residents of Audincourt, gathered within the association Engrenages artistiques, have initiated a commissioned artwork around the heritage of the “Autos” neighborhood, in particular the Sacré-Cœur Church and the Maisons Castors.

Located in a working-class area shaped by the Peugeot industry, the “Autos” neighborhood embodies the history of a century of social, urban, and cultural transformations. It is a place of welcome, collective construction, and civic initiatives, marked by self-building, social diversity, and cultural experimentation. The Sacré-Cœur Church, erected by residents with the support of major architects and artists, along with the Maisons Castors—self-built homes lived in by their creators—stand as symbols of this history.

The commission seeks to revive this heritage in connection with values of solidarity, transmission, and the common good. Its aim is to “keep memory alive,” to shed light on a little-known heritage, and to open a new collective narrative. The commissioners imagine an immaterial work, rooted in the neighborhood’s history yet open to other forms and interpretations, created in dialogue with residents, schools, and new generations.

In the spirit of the builders of the past, this commission is part of a current dynamic of shared creation, at the crossroads of art, memory, and community life. It invites dialogue between past and present in order to nourish imagination and contribute to the society of tomorrow.

The Nouveaux commanditaires initiative enables citizens to join forces with artists and commission artworks that respond to their concerns. It is open to everyone—residents of small or large cities, rural communities, or major metropolitan areas, regardless of age, origin, or place of life. The process relies on highly specialized support provided by trained and accredited mediators.

Launched in the early 1990s by Fondation de France, the Nouveaux commanditaires artistic protocol, proposed by artist François Hers, has made possible the creation of more than 500 works in France and worldwide, across a wide range of contexts and disciplines: visual arts, design, theater, literature, cinema, music, architecture, science, and even comics.

Since 2020, the association Société des Nouveaux commanditaires has brought together the network of mediators and has overseen the development of this initiative with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Fondation de France.