L’Emploi du Temps: A Four-Day Creative Workshop in Paris

This creative, salon-style workshop takes place on a quarterly basis. The concept of “Emploi du Temps” revolves around 4 days of encounters governed by the pleasure of learning and sharing. Created by four personalities from various backgrounds (the painter Alexandra Roussopoulos, the graphic designer Caroline Magre, the photographer Julien Magre and the astrophysicist Matthieu Gounelle), it proposes a unique experience that aims to rediscover the urge to indulge in moments of pleasure, to experience other practices whether they be intellectual, linguistic, artistic or culinary.

We wish to recreate the Parisian spirit of salons when, in the 18th century, quality people would meet and discuss current affairs in politics, science, literature or art, in an atmosphere of freedom and curiosity.

Our discussions will take place in the language of Molière, including several workshops specifically directed towards the further study of French language with Elisabeth Bettencourt, who specializes in teaching French as a foreign language.

Each encounter will lead to discussions, shared readings, screenings, talks as well as visits of artist studios or exhibitions. Artists, scientists, filmmakers, illustrators, writers, photographers, graphic designers will all be possible contributors, depending on the theme that is chosen, falling within varied fields such as art, research, literature, cinema, theatre, or dance. Food will be celebrated with daily picnics and a closing dinner party prepared by the chef Pascale Moretti.

The making of such a space for exchange nevertheless requires organization. That is, a timetable (“emploi du temps” in French), although this term should, of course, be approached with humor and tenderness— the tenderness of a joyful return to childhood and to its learning environment. A timetable that is slightly off-beat, so that everyone can get out of the frame with joy and depth.

Practical Information

Four days workshop: 2000 euros / 8 guests maximum

Information: [email protected]

The first session of “L’emploi du temps” will take place in the 16th arrondissement in Paris, in an artist studio (1, 2) that is close to Place du Trocadéro, from Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 November 2019.

The Participants

Elisabeth Bettencourt was born in 1970. She is the creator of teaching methods for French as a foreign language. She holds a Bachelor degree in Chinese and Tibetan from INALCO (the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations), a BA in language sciences — specializing in French as a foreign language —, from Université Paris Descartes and a DAEFLE (certificate for teaching French as a foreign language) from the Alliance française. In 2011, she created a language school, The French Lesson, which provides courses directed to an anglophone, adult audience. The French Lesson conceives teaching programs for companies (Chanel), administrations (the US embassy in Paris), and individual tutoring. Since February 2018, she has worked with the association «L’atelier des artistes en exil» («The studio of exiled artists») to develop and coordinate the training course «Learning French through art», in partnership with Parisian museums, directed to asylum seekers and refugees. Her pedagogy is inspired by the works of Célestin Freinet, Monique Callamand, Elisabeth Lhote, N.S Troubetskoï, Ferdinand Brunot and Petar Guberina. The implementation of her teaching is based on a multidisciplinary team consisting of French as a foreign language teachers, phoneticians, comedians, speech therapists, writers, poets, philosophers…

Matthieu Gounelle was born in 1971. He is a professor of cosmochemistry at the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) in Paris and a member of the Institut Universitaire de France. He leads the cosmochemistry research group of the MNHN and directs the national meteorites collection. He has authored more than 100 scientific papers and three monographies («Les météorites», collection Que Sais-je ? PUF 2009, «Les météorites, à la recherche de nos origines» Flammarion 2013, «Une belle histoire des météorites» Flammarion 2017). He was awarded the Nier Prize by the Meteoritical Society in 2006 and the asteroid 1981 ET22 was named «Gounelle» as a tribute to his work. He has curated the exhibition «Meteorites our most distant memories», which took place at the Galerie épisodique in February 2016 in Paris and he is the curator of the exhibition « Meteorites, from sky to earth » at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, which opened in October 2017.

He has published two books of poetry in collaboration with the artist Alexandra Roussopoulos, «Nouvelle Île», published by éditions Montcalm and «Paul et la neige», published by éditions FLM. He recently published «Elles» a collection of poems published by Les Éditions Derrière La Salle de Bains and « Si du ciel ne restait qu’une seule pierre » in collaboration with thephotographer Julien Magre, published by Filigranes Éditions.

Caroline Magre was born in 1975 in Tulle. After graduating from the Arts Décoratifs de Paris, she evolved professionally in the luxury sector, working for prestigious houses like Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy. Working alongside Tom Ford at Yves Saint Laurent, or Donald Schneider (who is now the artistic director of H&M), she learned the rigor and excellence required from the field. In 2003, she joined Chanel first as the head of publishing activities, then dedicating herself to new technologies and video. In 2009,she decided to start her own graphic design studio, whitepapierstudio, and has since conceived books for artists such as William Klein, Antoine d’Agata, Mohammed Bourouissa or Ali Kazma. She is a partner of the BAL and works on regular basis for the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, the Mairie de Paris, the Centre Georges-Pompidou, as well as Parisian galleries. In parallel, she teaches artistic direction at the Instituto Marangoni for master’s degrees in communication, marketing and clothes design. In 2015, Caroline was appointed head of communication at the carpet and tapestry company Pinton.

Julien Magre was born in 1973. While studying at the Arts Décoratifs de Paris, he began  photographing a young woman, who then became the mother of his children and the main character of a story that turned into a book in 2010, Carole, Histoire numéro deux, published by éditions Filigranes. Talking about this project, which he has developed for the past fifteen years, the photographer describes himself as a «spectator of [his] own intimacy»: choosing the right distance with his subject – neither too distant, nor too close -, he documents his everyday life, thereby rendering it poetical. In parallel, and with the same desire to translate the world while attaching a theatrical, fictional and oneiric interpretation to it, Julien Magre works on photography series that are less explicitly autobiographical: landscapes, nature, and its slow transformation into urban territory, or the way it is altered by man. He has recently published, with Matthieu Gounelle (scientist and author), a book of poetry, «Si du ciel ne restait qu’une seule pierre», published by éditions Filigranes.

Pascale Moretti was born in 1963 in Paris. After a 30-year professional career — the first 10 years in the field of contemporary art, and the next 20 years managing a publishing house specialized in lighting and furniture, in 2017 she engaged in a new project that better fits her personality and our time. Following training at Ferrandi — the School of French gastronomy —, and a professional experience with the 3-star chef Guy Savoy at his Monnaie de Paris restaurant, she started «La petite Madeleine», which offers sharing experiences around traditional French pastries, a gustatory trip that makes us travel back to the roots of childhood snacks. She developed with «La petite Madeleine» a catering service, as well as a coaching and team-building program and pastry-making workshops, by creating connections between baking, art and design, in association with contemporary visual artists.

Joël Person was born in 1962 in Abidjan (Ivory Coast); he lives and works in Paris. Graduating from l’École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris. As a painter and a drawer, he combines, in his compositions, the classical purity of the line and the rare intensity of expression. He has participated in numerous artist residencies in Slovenia (Medana), Ireland (Heinrich Böll cottage), China (Zhangjiajie), and Bosnia and Erzegovina (Trebinje). His recent exhibitions include: « Bibelot Summer Show » at the Wendy Galerie, Paris (2018), «Salo VI», Juin, Paris (2018), «Art is Hope, For Aids» Paris (2017), «L’Envers du Réel» at On Galerie & Galerie 24B, Paris (2017), «Grand Trouble» at Halle Saint Pierre, Paris (2017), «This night never done» at Galerie Episodique & On Galerie, Paris (2017); « La Colère de Moïse: La Force du Trait » at Bibiothèque Sigmund Freud, Paris (2013) and « La Réalité du Trait » at galerie Dix 9 in Paris (2015) ; «Histoire de Je» at the Galerie Dix9, Paris (2014) ; «Les Cahiers Dessinés» at the Halle Saint Pierre, Paris (2015). Joël Person has also exhibited in China: «The Poetic Community», Piffo Gallery in Xiamen, China (2016), the Yard Gallery in Shanghai (2013), the Xiamen Museum (2016); the National Wetland Museum of China in Hangzhou (2014). His work is part of the Hermès Collection and private collections in Paris, Saint Paul de Vence, Monaco, London, Stockholm, Berlin, Zurich, Beirut…

Alexandra Roussopoulos was born in Paris in 1969; she is of Swiss and Greek descent. Through painting, she re-explores the relationship between shape, color and space. Her work has always reflected the importance of the connections with others. She regularly engages in artistic collaborations and has participated in numerous artist residencies in China, Greece, Ireland, Slovenia, and Algeria. She has taken part in the art center APDV, which places artistic action at the heart of low-income housing areas. She has curated several exhibitions: L’Eau et les Rêves (Galerie Kamchatka, Paris, 2007), Mauvais Genre (in collaboration with Isabel Duperray at Galerie du Petit Maroc, St Nazaire, 2009) andYoung Memories, a cycle of nine exhibitions (Galerie épisodique, Paris, 2016). Alexandra Roussopoulos has exhibited in Switzerland (Musée d’art et d’histoire de Neuchâtel, Fondation Louis More, le Manoir in Martigny, davel 14 in Cully, the Villa Bernasconi in Grand-Lancy, the Ferme Asile in Sion and at LAC in Vevey); in France (L’Art dans les Chapelles in Brittany, La Cité Radieuse by Le Corbusier in Marseille, the apartment /studio of the Le Corbusier in Paris, the galerie Pixi-Marie-Victoire Poliakoff in Paris, the galerie Scrawitch/Julien Bézille, the National Museum of Natural History in Paris), in London (The Baldwin Gallery) ; in New York (Galerie Zurcher) and in China (the Pifo Gallery in Beijing, the Art Lelege gallery in Beijing, Yard art Gallery in Shanghai and the Xixi National Museum in Hangzhou). She was awarded the visual arts prize of the René Liechti Foundation in Switzerland in 2010 and the Novembre à Vitry painting prize in 2002. She regularly takes part in workshops in France and abroad (in France at the Hear in Mulhouse and at the ESBA in le Mans, as well as in China at the China National Academy of Fine Arts, and at the Fine Arts University in Hangzhou).