Biographie
Pascal develops and leads innovative projects at the intersection of culture, society, education and the economy.
A theatre, festival and project director, he initiated the CECN, a cross-border institute of culture and technology in Mons (Belgium) – Maubeuge (France) from 2004 to 2012, training 400 professionals per year and hosting 20 companies per year, and directed the Belgian part of the VIA International Festival created by Didier Fusillier.
In Avignon, he founded La Manufacture Collectif Contemporain in 2001, the main venue for contemporary theatre, performances, dance and hybrid forms at the Avignon Off Festival, with 35,000 spectators and 15,000 professional tickets, and over 20,000 spectators in a disadvantaged suburb, Saint-Chamand, one of the poorest districts in France, with participatory governance, inclusive strategies, skills development for residents and a focus on diversity.
As an artistic commissioner, Pascal designed and directed in 2010 the artistic and digital exhibitions of the Belgian pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo; the pavilion attracted 5 million visitors.
Pascal was a key figure and leader in Belgium in the process and candidacy of the Mons 2015 European Capital of Culture project. He co-directed the presentations before the European Commission jury, and the team received the Melina Mercouri Prize thanks to the quality and innovative approach of the candidacy.
He imagined and directed the digital programme for the Capital Year, which was the theme of the project. He led disruptive projects such as Café Europa and Street Review. He promotes what he calls “warm technology”: projects that massively impact audiences, build skills and challenge or repurpose the traditional use of digital technology.
In 2017, Pascal designed the digital museum of La Villette for 8 French national museums (the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Versailles, etc.) and over 150 digital museums in France and worldwide (in more than 20 countries to date).
He is a member of the coordination committee of the STARTS Residencies programme of the European Commission, which brings together artists in Europe’s most advanced innovation laboratories, and has a strong European commitment.
Pascal has taught digital culture and society at the University of Avignon since 2014 and has been an invited speaker at SXSW (European Commission), NYSU, among others. He is frequently invited by the European Parliament and the European Commission.
