The Park : Becoming a Body of Water
25 SEPTEMBER – 29 OCTOBER 2020 

During Manifesta 13 Marseille, the Consigne Sanitaire explored and interrogated themes and issues related to ecology and the effects of climate change.

Situated at the entrance of the Vieux Port, the Consigne Sanitaire was built in 1719 by French engineer Antoine Mazin. The operations within the building were dedicated to the sanitary control of all boats and sailors entering the port of Marseille. Throughout Marseille’s history, the city has been a major maritime trading centre in the Mediterranean and was consequently often a gateway to epidemics. A manner in which to control the spread of diseases was through the inspections of ships as they entered the port and through placing suspected individuals in quarantine. Despite the control imposed by the Consigne Sanitaire, Marseille was hit in 1720 by a plague epidemic that killed more than 400,000 inhabitants in the region.

Medical progress and the development of travel by plane in the 20th century led to the closure of the Consigne Sanitaire in 1933. The building was classified as a national heritage site in 1949. The Consigne Sanitaire is a testimony to the period of great industrial activities in the port of Marseille.

Participant : Peter Fend* (1950, US)

Venue accessible to visitors with disabilities.