Marseilles, France

Marseilles is a major industrial city, with a population of 840,000. It is the second largest city in France, as a city of international trade, it plays a major role in the Mediterranean. The Marseille-Fos port is the largest port in France. In the span of ten years, Marseille has modernised by creating a proper business sector, becoming a vital location for the audiovisual industry and developing all of its infrastructure. Designated the European Capital of Culture in 2013, the City of Marseille has always made culture a centrepiece of life in the City. Glasgow and Marseilles signed a Twinning Agreement in 2006 and since then, the link has gone from strength to strength. Educational exchanges form a major part of the activity between the two cities.

• Marseille and Glasgow have a strong partnership in the area of Education. The Education partnership focuses on;

• strengthening of collaborative educational links between the City of Glasgow and the Académie d'Aix-Marseille will allow the development of shared knowledge, skills and understanding, particularly in the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages in primary and secondary schools within a 1+2 context

•  continue to encourage respective establishments to exchange views on educational policies and priorities of common interest. To this end the development of bi-lateral and multi-lateral educational and cultural projects will be encouraged and facilitated.

• promote the exchange of educational staff at all levels to encourage sharing of expertise and development of professional competence.

• The use of ICT and inclusion will be a priority area for exchanges of good practice.

• Glasgow Showcase event in Marseille;

In 2016, Glasgow was invited to showcase at Marseille's annual Consul 'Art event with a collection of artists and designers working in Glasgow, and Glasgow was delighted to see 6 of Glasgow's most successful designers and artists being involved in this. It was a great opportunity to give young designers a platform to promote and exhibit their work and show Glasgow as a European Centre for contemporary design. The designers involved were;

• Alan Moore Ten30 Fashion Label
• Roddy MacNeill Print Artist
• Danna Finigan Interiors
• Heather Shields Furnishings
• Kate Colin Design

Glasgow was also asked to curate a Glasgow Photo Exhibition 'Window on Glasgow'

http://streetlevelphotoworks.org/event/a_window_on_glasgow

This exhibition profiles aspects of Glasgow in 26 photographs covering styles of social documentary and portraiture to street and architectural photography, by several photographers who are associated with Street Level as artists and co-creators. The work portrays a unique profile of a city in constant transition - from the mid 70s, when half the city's tenements were being demolished and the other half undergoing transformation and construction, to more recent depictions of people and place which convey the energy of change in the environment and in the diversity and demographics of its inhabitants. From a city recovering from the post-war deindustrialisation and depopulation, to one that has cohered around  community spirit, civic pride and a cultural resurgence in its art, music, theatre and writing, the exhibition aims to capture aspects of the social, cultural and political identify of Scotland's largest city.

•  City of Glasgow College / Lycee Hotelliere Hospitality Management Partnership

• This partnership is currently in its 5^th year and allows students from both cities to do a week long exchange. Students have the opportunity to work in hotels / restaurants in Glasgow and Marseille and host an official lunch at their respective colleges each year. A great opportunity for all students to experience another culture and environment for their studies.