#ProudOfOurStudents: the MAP art installation project

Students from the Montpellier Artistic Project (MAP) association invite you to come and dissect a scene from Godard's film "Contempt" during the exceptional exhibition by artist Sylvain Fraysse at the Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. We met with them to discuss this unique project.

How did this project come about?

The "Camille " project was born in 2022, from a desire by members of the Montpellier Artistic Project to introduce new forms of art to students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. The MAP's 2021-2022 board contacted the Regional Contemporary Art Fund (FRAC) with a view to creating a joint project, and this led to a collaboration with visual artist Sylvain Fraysse and Céline Mélissent, who is responsible for public relations and the dissemination of the FRAC collection.

 

What does this artistic experience consist of for visitors?

The exhibition consists of a sensory experience of light and sound based on Jean-Luc Godard's film Le Mépris. The artist uses the Dissection Room in the Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine to "dissect" a scene from the film. In this legendary scene, the director lists the parts of the body of Camille, one of the main characters played by Brigitte Bardot, as if performing a dissection. Sylvain Fraysse recreates the color filters of the scene using gelatin on the windows of the dissection room and also cuts the original soundtrack of the film into 24 frequencies. In this way, he dissects the very essence of the scene.

 

What exactly is MAP?

The Montpellier Artistic Project is a non-profit organization founded in August 2020 by three medical students who wanted to organize artistic activities within the faculty.
Over the past three years, the MAP office has grown, and we now offer various workshops and activities across our four areas of focus: applied arts, public speaking, literary arts, and culinary arts. To this end, we provide equipment and introductory sessions for various artistic practices, and we also organize art competitions on our social media platforms, as well as a public speaking competition each semester.
You can find us through our mascot, a chameleon named Léon Art, on Facebook and on our Instagram account.

 

Why is this project important to you?

It is important to us because it allows us to bring the Faculty's historic building to life by opening a room that has never before been open to the public, and thus give the association a boost by stepping outside our usual workshops. We have learned a great deal from this project and hope that students and visitors will enjoy it. We are also very proud to be involved in Montpellier's bid to become Capital of Culture 2028 and to be able to play a part in the dynamics of the Metropolis. It is a colorful experience that brings students together.

 

What support have you been able to gather?

We had the opportunity to work with Sylvain Fraysse and the FRAC through Céline Mélissent, who was our main contact during the development of this project. The project was selected to participate in Montpellier's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2028, which meant we were able to receive financial support for the exhibition. La TaM supported us by allowing us to put up posters at certain tram and bus stops in the city to promote the exhibition.
We also received support from the University of Montpellier (UM) through the Student Initiative Solidarity Fund (FSDIE) and the UM Arts and Culture department, notably Eléonore Szturemski, as well as the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. We would like to extend our special thanks to Dean Isabelle Laffont and Professor Gérald Chanques for their support and logistical assistance.

 

Practical information about the exhibition

Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine
2 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine
34000 Montpellier

 

Exhibition open to the public from March 22 to April 18:

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 2pm to 7pm
• Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Students guided tours during these open days, with free admission.

On Tuesdays, guided tours will be offered by students in the Master's program in Mediation at the Faculty of Education in Montpellier.

• Tuesday, March 28, April 4 and 11 at 3 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 18 at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Additional mediation slots offered by association members will be announced at a later date on the event's Facebook page.