SYLVAIN FRAYSSE'S "CAMILLE" EXHIBITION

This exhibition is the result of a collaborative effort between Montpellier Artistic Project (MAP), a student association at Montpellier University's Faculty of Medicine that aims to promote artistic activities among students, FRAC, and artist Sylvain Fraysse.

This exhibition, initiated by students from the Faculty, was also selected to be part of Montpellier'sbid to become European Capital of Culture in 2028!

This work provides an opportunity to open the former dissection room of the Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine to the public for the first time, thereby bringing its heritage to life.

camille montpellier exhibition
2780

visitors

20

exhibition days

1000

atmospheres

Presentation of the exhibition

The "Camille " project was born in 2022, from a desire by members of the Montpellier Artistic Project to introduce students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine to new forms of art. The exhibition consists of a sensory experience of light and sound based on the film Contempt by Jean-Luc Godard.

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 Camille's body, one of the main characters played by Brigitte Bardot, as if performing a dissection.

Sylvain Fraysse recreates the scene's color filters using gelatin on the windowsof the dissection room and also cuts the film's original soundtrack into 24 frequencies. In doing so, he dissects the very essence of the scene.

Strength in unity

This project would not have been possible without the unfailing support it received from various stakeholders, including:

Sylvain Fraysse and the FRAC via Céline Mélissent, who was the main contact person in the development of this project, the financial support granted to the project thanks to its application for Montpellier European Capital of Culture 2028. TaMalso participated by allowing posters to be put up at certain tram and bus stops in the city to promote the exhibition.

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. Finally, Dean Isabelle Laffont and Professor Gérald Chanquesprovided assistance with all the logistics.

Every hour has its own atmosphere

What makes the Camille exhibition a constantly changing installation is the fact that it unfolds thanks to the light coming in through the windows. The different colors of gelatin on the windows blend together, bathing the room in green in the morning and purple in the afternoon.

The weather and the position of the sun are therefore integral parts of the work!

You can visit and revisit the exhibition without ever getting tired of it...

A successful opening

The exhibition opening was held successfully in the Courtyard of Honor of the Historic Building. Open to registered guests, more than a hundred people came to celebrate the launch of this unique project.

The President of the UM, Philippe Augé, Dean Isabelle Laffont, as well as the FRAC and MAP were present.

The OSEM (Montpellier Student Symphony Orchestra) and the Med'Ley student music association provided entertainment for the evening.

Hidden lilies

But there is more to this exhibition than just sound and light... In fact, in the dissection room there are numerous blackboards, and when you approach some of them you can see flowers, particularly lilies, blending into the decor.

Synonymous with purity, innocence or, in literature, desire and love, the lily is also a symbol of fertility. In the film, it is during a scene depicting an argument between the lovers that a vase of lilies appears on screen, thus becoming the poster for the exhibition.

Practical information

Exhibition: Camille by Sylvain Fraysse 

Exhibition presented from March 22 to April 18, 2022, in the dissection room of the Faculty's Historic Building in Montpellier (free admission).

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.
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.