Tag archive for: Heritage
Visual artist and portraitist Cédric Matet and digital artist Jane Kleis are back to present their work “The Anatomy of the Secretary” at the exhibition “Les Aliénés du Mobilier national, le retour” at the Cité de la photographie et de l’image in Paris.
Cédric Matet and Jane Kleis are no strangers to our faculty…
After a residency at the Conservatory of Anatomy at the Montpellier School of Medicine for the exhibition “L’humain dans son Jardin,” the artists were inspired to create the exhibition “Les Aliénés.”
But what exactly is this exhibition organized by Le Mobilier National?
It is important to note that this facility, located in Paris, houses countless pieces of furniture that are in storage, unused, and have lost their heritage value.
He decided to entrust some of his pieces to visual artists with the aim of revitalizing the collections of the former Royal Furniture Depot. That is how Jane Kleis and Cédric Matet were invited to reinterpret a 19th-century secretary desk that had been forgotten by everyone.
Like an anatomical model, the visual artist and the photographer sought to understand and thus reveal the secret of this 19th-century secretary desk. The secretary desk is a piece of furniture that is both functional and decorative. It features a drop-down flap that allows for the storage of documents or valuable objects. The artists chose to focus on the anatomical aspect of the piece. They photographed the different parts of the secretary desk, from the base to the drawers, striving to reveal its beauty and complexity.
"The Anatomy of the Secretary" was thus born after a long period of exploratory work, building on their residency at our faculty.
The artists dissected the piece of furniture to understand its essence and the complexity of its construction, thereby revealing its hidden beauty. Without compromising the piece, it is now on full display for all to see.
Through contemporary art, the aim is to give heritage a voice once again, thereby bringing it back to life.
The exhibition by Cédric Matet and Jane Kleis is a true invitation to contemplation. It allows us to see a piece of furniture in a new light, to appreciate it for its beauty and complexity. The exhibition “Les Aliénés du Mobilier national, le retour” is a unique opportunity to discover an exceptional object.
Both of the artist's exhibitions reflect his interest in the beauty and complexity of nature. They invite us to see the world around us with fresh eyes.
This exhibition runs through January 2, 2024.
The anatomy museum continues to fulfill its educational role for our healthcare students, and the proof is that it educates both doctors and artists!
The 800th-anniversary student cap, donated by the medical students, will be displayed in the lobby of the Arnaud de Villeneuve Health Campus. The unveiling ceremony will take place on November 6, 2023. This intangible cultural heritage is being passed down; student tradition has never been more alive than at the world’s oldest medical school still in operation.
Students from the Montpellier Artistic Project (MAP) invite you to join them in analyzing a scene from Godard’s film *Contempt* during the special 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 launched in 2022, born out of a desire among members of the Montpellier Artistic Project to introduce students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine to new forms of art. The 2021–2022 MAP board therefore reached out to the Regional Contemporary Art Fund (FRAC) with the aim of creating a joint project, and this led to a collaboration with visual artist Sylvain Fraysse and Céline Mélissent, who oversees public engagement and the promotion of the collection at the FRAC.
What does this artistic experience entail for visitors?
The exhibition is a sensory experience of light and sound centered on Jean-Luc Godard’s film *Contempt *. 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 iconic scene, the director lists the parts of Camille’s body—one of the main characters, played by Brigitte Bardot—in the manner of a dissection. Sylvain Fraysse recreates the scene’s color filters using gelatin sheets on the windows of the dissection room and also cuts the film’s original soundtrack 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 established in August 2020 by three medical students who wanted to organize artistic activities within the faculty.
Over the past three years, the MAP board has expanded, and we now offer a variety of workshops and activities across our four divisions: Applied Arts, Public Speaking, Literary Arts, and Culinary Arts. To this end, we provide materials and introductory sessions for various artistic practices, and we also organize art contests on our social media platforms, as well as a public speaking contest each semester.
You can find us through our mascot, a chameleon named Léon Art, on Facebook, as well as on our Instagram account.
Why is this project so 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 gives the association a boost by taking us out of our usual workshops. We have learned a great deal from this project and hope that students and visitors will enjoy it. Furthermore, we are very proud to be part of Montpellier’s bid for the 2028 Capital of Culture and to be able to contribute to the city’s cultural life. It is a vibrant experience that brings students together.
What kind of support have you been able to gather?
We had the opportunity to work with Sylvain Fraysse and the FRAC through Céline Mélissent, who served as our primary point of contact during the development of this project. The project was selected to be part of Montpellier’s bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028, which allowed us to receive financial support for the production of the exhibition. The TaM supported us by allowing us to install posters at certain tram and bus stops throughout the metropolitan area 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 from the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. We would like to extend a special thank you 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 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Students can visit the exhibits during these open house days on a drop-in basis.
On Tuesdays, guided tours will be led by students in the Master’s program in Cultural Mediation at the Faculty of Education in Montpellier.
- Tuesday, March 28, and April 4 and 11 at 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 18, at 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Additional mediation sessions offered by association members will be announced at a later date on the event’s Facebook page.
