Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin

Reawaken the forgotten history.

We’re in Montgomery, Alabama, in the heart of the segregated southern United States, on the 2:30 PM bus, March 2, 1955. Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old Black teenager, refuses to give up her seat to a White passenger. Despite threats, she remains seated. After being thrown in jail, she decides to sue the city and plead not guilty. No one ever dared to do such a thing at the time. And yet, no one remembers her name.

Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin is an immersive experience adapted from a biographical essay, written by Tania de Montaigne, that traces the story of Claudette Colvin and her journey from struggle to abandonment.

When, 9 months later, Rosa Parks repeated the same act, everything changed. With the support of a young pastor who had recently arrived in Montgomery, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks became a hero, the spark that launched the civil rights movement. History was in the making. Claudette Colvin made it all possible, but she is the one who has been forgotten. She still lives in the United States today, and is 83 years old.

Colored allows the audience to enter a setting that will soon be haunted by the ghosts of 1950s Alabama. Thanks to augmented reality, which like no other technology allows our present to meet the past, Claudette’s story can become our story, entering our memories as a ‘lived’ moment in our own experience where we can each become witnesses to this heroic act.

In a set specially designed for the experience, iconic scenes from Claudette Colvin’s life during her fight for civil rights are replayed before your very eyes. Whether you’re alone or accompanied, you’ll be able to join your peers in a collective headset experience.

“Colored, the Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin” directed by Stéphane Foenkinos and Pierre-Alain Giraud, based on the work by Tania de Montaigne, produced by Novaya in partnership with the Centre Pompidou, co-produced with Flash Forward Entertainment (Taiwan).

Winner of the Award for Best Immersive Work of the 77th Festival de Cannes.

Opening times:
Open daily with hourly timeslots. Various opening times. Closed Fri 18 October.

Running time: 40 minutes. Please arrive 5 minutes before your slot for onboarding. Latecomers will not be admitted.

Age restriction: 13+
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.

Access: This is a standing walkabout 40-minute experience which can be adapted for people with reduced mobility. Please contact us before purchasing your ticket(s) so that we can accommodate you.

Warnings: Themes of racism and violence; references to rape; strong and overtly racist language; may include flashing images.

Language: The experience is presented in both French and English. You will choose your preferred language before starting the experience.