More than 260 artistic projects selected for the “New Worlds” public commission – lemonde.fr

Capture the sounds of the prehistoric caves of the Vézère to reproduce them as an opera; create a “legal rhapsody”, based on the parliamentary archives of the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State, which mixes historical documents, dialogue reports and debates; divert the plastic waste that invades the seabed to recycle it into hospitality furniture; design a glass chandelier based on the flora of the park of the castle of Bussy-Rabutin (Côte-d’Or); imagine a contemplation furniture made of lime, straw, buckwheat for the cairn of Barnenez (Finistère); etc.

These are some of the 264 artistic projects that have just been selected as part of the Mondes nouvelles public commission. With a budget of 30 million euros financed by the recovery plan, this operation, wanted by Emmanuel Macron, aims “To give a new horizon after the health crisis and create a new dialogue between the State and artists”, insists the president’s entourage. In this context, Monday, November 8, the Head of State was to receive, at the Elysee Palace, the winners of this “Call for creations”.

These 264 projects mixing all disciplines (85 from collectives) are carried by 430 artists. Unknown or known (such as the musicologist Francois Meïmoun, the director Maroussia Pourpoint, the plastic artist and mathematician Laurent Derobert, the painter Xinyi Cheng, etc.), 60% of them are under 40 years old. Some of these future creations “Will resonate” with heritage sites managed by the Center des monuments nationaux or the Conservatoire du littoral.

The artistic committee responsible for the selection received some 3,200 projects: “A wonderfully frightening number”, summarizes its president, Bernard Blistène, former director of the National Museum of Modern Art, at the Center Georges-Pompidou. How was the choice made? “We favored originality, uniqueness, generosity of projects and sought a balance between disciplines”, he explains. Thus 30% of the proposals relate to the plastic arts, 22% to performing arts and music, 15% to design, and 26% are multidisciplinary.

“It was not a question of providing financial support to already existing projects, but of listening to the artists’ aspirations, of asking them: ‘what are you thinking, what are you dreaming about?’ We started from their wishes and will accompany them throughout the creation process ”, we say at the Elysee.

You have 41.82% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.