[ad_1]
As an lively Director of Alliance Française in Singapore, inform us concerning the ICONIC! Exhibition staged this November at Alliance Française, how was the idea of the exhibition nurtured?
Since we created the French Excellence programme final 12 months, to share extra about French cultural heritage with all communities and spotlight France’s distinctive know-how via exhibitions, talks, screenings, workshops and so on., ICONIC! was at all times in our thoughts. An exhibition to highlight the “Made in France” was positively a should, and we took the time to fine-tune the idea and to contain as many prestigious companions to come back on board.
ICONIC!’s ambition is for instance how French creativity has modified how we reside, work and play in
many areas. On this brainwork, the scenography idea was an epiphany. What higher approach to
specific the on a regular basis revolution of those innovations than to incorporate them in a pop-up non-public
house embellished with French designer items from Akar de Nissim and Christian Liaigre, which confirmed how they modified our day by day life? The customer is then invited to establish these iconic artefacts
displayed on this distinctive set-up.
There are over 50 French creations exhibited, inform us extra concerning the choice course of?
The primary guideline was to focus on 50 innovations that modified our day by day life and possibly the world, however more often than not you don’t know they’re French. For positive the choice course of was robust!
“Shock” was additionally our major key phrase whereas engaged on the objects we might select: we wished our
guests to be startled by the artefact they had been taking a look at. Since our opening final week, we’ve heard many occasions, “Oh! I didn’t know THAT was French!”
You’re highlighting to all guests the French creations within the area of know-how, for example the superb sound system objects that are on show. Is France an excessive amount of considered a rustic solely associated to style, fragrance and luxurious and never sufficient as a tech creation hub?
In fact, Hermès and the Kelly bag, Guerlain and the fashionable fragrance or lipstick, Yves Saint
Laurent and the ladies’s trouser swimsuit, Cadolle and the fashionable bra are a part of this exhibition. However
there’s a lot extra to France than these necessities. Moreover these luxurious manufacturers, we gave room
to tech creations.
You talked about the high-end loudspeakers with built-in amplifiers, created by Cabasse, and this
exhibition additionally presents you to find that the sensible card, the photovoltaic panels or the gyroscope
are French innovations too.
ICONIC! is a approach to hammer residence that France can be a land for innovation. In spite of everything, in 2022, the
Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to a French researcher, as was Fields Medal, and Station F, the
world’s largest start-up campus created by Xavier Niel is situated in France!
The long-lasting “Smiley” being a French creation comes as a shock. Inform us extra about this particular creation and the way it has conquered the world?
The Smiley is among the success tales we’re presenting. In 1971, the journalist Franklin Loufrani designed his personal Smiley as a part of an anti-morosity marketing campaign within the day by day newspaper France-Soir. Earlier than doing so, the smart journalist registered the well-known brand with the Nationwide Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). He named the emblem “Smiley” and launched The Smiley Firm to domicile his model. In 1996, Loufrani’s son, Nicolas, took over the household enterprise. He designed the image in 3D and prolonged the easy Smiley to a whole lot of expressions. At present, The Smiley Firm has round 68 million licensed merchandise that drive US$573 million in annual gross sales throughout band companions.
What feelings do you hope the viewers expertise when visiting ICONIC!?
We thought and designed this exhibition in a really playful method, to welcome audiences of all ages, and we hope our viewers may have as a lot enjoyable visiting it as we had curating it.
Above all, we hope that every customer will deliver residence, via the historical past of every object, a little bit of the French spirit that underpins our id and cultural heritage.
How is ICONIC! Built-in into the vOilah! France Singapore Pageant 2022 programme?
This 12 months’s vOilah! France Singapore Pageant is themed “Inspiration”, which led us to curate ICONIC! It’s an honour for Alliance Française to be considered one of vOilah! France Singapore Pageant 2022 highlights. We’re grateful to profit from the help of the Embassy of France in Singapore, not just for the exhibition, but in addition for the French Movie Pageant offered by the Embassy the place 32 screenings are offered in our theatre, some within the presence of award-winning actresses like Elsa Zylberstein and Ana Girardot.
You’ve staged a number of profitable exhibitions at Alliance Française Singapore in 2022. What’s deliberate throughout 2023?
2022 was the 12 months of maturity for the French Excellence programme with 4 excessive factors round
Visible artwork with REWARD, structure and historical past with NOTRE-DAME, gastronomy with À TABLE! #2
and at present MADE IN FRANCE, gathering 1000’s of holiday makers in whole!
In 2023, aside from À TABLE! #3 which is an annual rendezvous, we’ll deal with new area akin to transportation and style design. Keep tuned…
You’ve travelled to many nations throughout the globe, what’s your favorite museum as of right now?
I should be sincere, on the danger of sounding chauvinistic, my coronary heart goes to the Centre Pompidou, the
largest museum for contemporary artwork in Europe, situated in Paris, the place I can deal with my eyes with my
favorite modern artists.
I’m particularly enthusiastic concerning the artwork retrospective they typically organise, like Pierre Soulages, Louise
Bourgeois or most not too long ago David Hockney, simply to call just a few.
Your favorite museum in Singapore?
My desire can be the Asian Civilisation Museum, as I’m enthusiastic about Asian civilisations. I
am significantly impressed by the standard of their cultural programmation, the originality of their
didactic scenographies, and the fashionable non permanent exhibitions, at all times anchored of their occasions.
In the event you had been to call one mentor who has impressed you in your life and profession, who would that be?
Undoubtedly my father has at all times been a mentor to me, and an individual whom I respect and admire. He taught me that work is a treasure to cherish — a mantra that also guides me right now.
Open Tuesday to Friday ( 1:00pm-7:30pm) and Saturday (9am-5:30pm), come uncover extra concerning the objects that change your life day by day at ICONIC! as a part of the French Excellence programme.
For extra artwork reads, click on right here.
[ad_2]
