Doctor in English studies and lecturer at the University of Paris-Diderot until 2002, Bénédicte Alliot was Director of the French Institute of South Africa in Johannesburg (2002-2006), then Cultural Attaché at the French Embassy in New Delhi, India (2006-2010). She then headed the Cultural Seasons unit at the Institut Français in Paris. Since early 2016, Bénédicte Alliot has been the Executive Director of the Cité internationale des arts, a residency centre that welcomes 326 artists, writers, filmmakers, dancers, playwrights, etc. from more than 100 countries located in the centre of Paris, in the Marais and Montmartre districts.

The Cité Internationale des Arts was founded in 1965. It welcomes artists from all over the world, including France, and it's been doing that ever since, on a regular and growing basis since 1965. It hosts 326 artists, writers, curators, filmmakers, musicians, etc. 326 people at the same time on two sites.

And it's made of different studios where you have a living space and a working space. So, it means that the artists come live and work in the same space. This stems from a very 20th-century idea and concept which was the need for Paris to provide itself with proper accommodation and working spaces for artists. There are some memories of Picasso and the likes struggling all through winter in horrid conditions precisely because there was no adequate infrastructure for artists, so that was why the two people, mostly one person, Félix Brunau, decided that he wanted to build a Cité Internationale des Arts for artists to come for temporary residencies. It was founded by Félix Brunau then, who was an architect and much more, also a diplomat, and an extraordinary figure of the 20th century, but it gets all sorts of public support from the Minister of Culture, the City of Paris, and also the Academie des Beaux-Arts, which actually provided some assistance when Cité Internationale des Arts was conceived.

We have here at Cité artists who came from very different areas or regions in the world. Good artists, very, very good artists came and decided to settle in Paris or France. I think it's just wonderful. They want to stay in France because, as I say, it's quite at the crossroads. It's superconnected and I think it's a very strong sign. A very positive sign. We also need internationale artists to come and stay. 

I feel there are many things happening in arts and culture in France right now and in Paris, and I also feel that we're very lucky that the international community still looks at coming to the city. Paris has always had this croissant/baguette thing, but because it was cosmopolitan at the same time. It's very, very important. Otherwise, I think you just wither.

This is an excerpt of a 7,000 word interview which will be published and podcasted across a network of participating university journals and national arts/literary magazines.

Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process.