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10 February 2022
Our ambassadors
Each month, we invite you to discover the Creil Sud Oise area in a different way through the portrait of 12 Tourism Ambassadors who act daily for tourism in the south of the Oise!
Monte Laster
Founder artist of the French-American Creative Exchange (FACE) association, in France and in the United States, resident of Cramoisy
Monte is a multi-disciplinary artist, interior designer and an Texan who made France his adopted country 40 years ago. 20 years laterhe created the association French-American Creative ExchangeFace", whose leitmotif is to reveal and amplify the exchanges between inhabitants using art to bring out collaborative projects and meetings that will be anchored in the future.
An American in Cramoisy
5 years ago, Monte moved to Cramoisy. He discovers a rich heritage : St. Martin's Churchwhich dates from 12th century, close to the Tithe Barnor the glass roof of the former Parvillé factory (a factory that has now been converted into flats) and which comes from the workshops Eiffel. He also discovered, with astonishment, the importance of the transmission of the pastThis is not common in the United States, but it is a way of transferring the memory of the village from older generations to younger ones, and in particular the history of the Second World War.
A strong story, a current daily life
Monte notes that around this rich and pervasive past, life in the village is not set in stone. Daily life leads its inhabitants into a race where meeting and exchange have less place. Thanks to the Cramoisy Town Hall, events are organised to liven up the village. But as in most towns and villagesthe places where we used to meet have disappeared The grocery shop or bakery has closed, the bistro no longer exists. However the creative energy, the desire to create and to meet is thereMonte sees a real potential in Cramoisy and wonders how to reveal and amplify it.
Art as a vehicle for encounters
With his experience within Face with the inhabitants of the Cité des 4000 in La Courneuve, where he spent twenty years weaving a strong social link that is now anchored in the habits, Monte is now developing an artistic project, Santo.
Five years ago, when he moved to Cramoisy, he made a amazing discovery for a native Texan: in 1944, Jérôme Zierlenan American who is also a Texan, gave his life to save the village of the crash of his bomber, destroyed by the Germans. Remaining in his cockpit to guide the sinking plane past the houses, the lieutenant was unable to deploy his parachute in time and crashed into St Michael's Wood. This man, propelled to hero status by his ultimate act of cooperationMonte decided to humanise it through a film (currently in progress) about Jerome's childhood in Santo, Texas.
Through this work, Monte has taken up the challenge of exchange. He invites children living in La Courneuve to come and discover Cramoisy, a village that they wander through with enchantmentThe film is set in a dream-like environment, where some of the scenes from the film Santo were shot. Against the backdrop of the making of a work that illustrates the ultimate cooperation, that of giving one's life to save people one does not knowMonte uses art as a mirrorHe also brought Texans to discover Cramoisy and its inhabitants, especially the children, during the filming of the scenes in the village. He also brought Texans to discover Cramoisy and its inhabitants, especially the children, during the shooting of the scenes in the village.
Today Monte is planning to show the children of Cramoisy La Courneuve and other places, for a more open, more connected future.
Video interview with Monte
Discover Face and the work of Monte
Association French-American Creative Exchange (FACE)
The work of Monte Laster