As an energetic 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 many others., ICONIC! was all the time in our thoughts. An exhibition to highlight the “Made in France” was undoubtedly 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 example how French creativity has modified how we reside, work and play in lots of areas. On this brainwork, the scenography idea was an epiphany. What higher strategy to categorical the on a regular basis revolution of those innovations than to incorporate them in a pop-up personal house embellished with French designer items from Akar de Nissim and Christian Liaigre, which confirmed how they modified our each 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 principle guideline was to focus on 50 innovations that modified our each day life and possibly the world, however more often than not you don’t know they’re French. For certain the choice course of was robust!
“Shock” was additionally our primary key phrase whereas engaged on the objects we’d select: we wished our guests to be startled by the artefact they have been . Since our opening final week, we’ve heard many instances, “Oh! I didn’t know THAT was French!”
You’re highlighting to all guests the French creations within the discipline of know-how, as an example the wonderful sound system objects that are on show. Is France an excessive amount of considered a rustic solely associated to trend, fragrance and luxurious and never sufficient as a tech creation hub?
After all, Hermès and the Kelly bag, Guerlain and the trendy fragrance or lipstick, Yves Saint Laurent and the ladies’s trouser swimsuit, Cadolle and the trendy bra are a part of this exhibition. However there may be a lot extra to France than these necessities. In addition to 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 affords you to find that the good card, the photovoltaic panels or the gyroscope are French innovations too.
ICONIC! is a strategy to hammer dwelling 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 enduring “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 without doubt one of 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 each day newspaper France-Soir. Earlier than doing so, the clever 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 straightforward Smiley to a whole bunch of expressions. Right now, 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 can have as a lot enjoyable visiting it as we had curating it.
Above all, we hope that every customer will convey dwelling, 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 Competition 2022 programme?
This 12 months’s vOilah! France Singapore Competition is themed “Inspiration”, which led us to curate ICONIC! It’s an honour for Alliance Française to be certainly one of vOilah! France Singapore Competition 2022 highlights. We’re grateful to learn from the help of the Embassy of France in Singapore, not just for the exhibition, but in addition for the French Movie Competition introduced by the Embassy the place 32 screenings are introduced in our theatre, some within the presence of award-winning actresses like Elsa Zylberstein and Ana Girardot.
You might have 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 presently MADE IN FRANCE, gathering 1000’s of holiday makers in complete!
In 2023, aside from À TABLE! #3 which is an annual rendezvous, we’ll give attention to new discipline resembling transportation and trend design. Keep tuned…
You might have travelled to many international locations throughout the globe, what’s your favorite museum as of immediately?
I have to be trustworthy, on the threat of sounding chauvinistic, my coronary heart goes to the Centre Pompidou, the biggest 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 usually organise, like Pierre Soulages, Louise Bourgeois or most just lately David Hockney, simply to call a couple of.
Your favorite museum in Singapore?
My choice could be the Asian Civilisation Museum, as I’m captivated with Asian civilisations. I’m significantly impressed by the standard of their cultural programmation, the originality of their didactic scenographies, and the trendy momentary exhibitions, all the time anchored of their instances.
If you happen to have been to call one mentor who has impressed you in your life and profession, who would that be?
Undoubtedly my father has all the time 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 immediately.
Open Tuesday to Friday ( 1:00pm-7:30pm) and Saturday (9am-5:30pm), come uncover extra concerning the objects that change your life each day at ICONIC! as a part of the French Excellence programme.
For extra artwork reads, click on right here.