Eurêka

Since 2009, the Seine-Saint-Denis County Council has been backing “la Culture et l’Art au Collège (CAC)”. This project is based to a large extent on the presence in class for several weeks (40h) of an artist or scientist whose mission is to engage the students in a process of research and creation. 

Tutors: Florence Durret, Patrick Petitjean, Roger Ferlet, Thierry Foglizzo, Guillaume Faye/ astrophysicists, Katherine Blanc/ artist, Gregoire Éloy, Guillaume Lebrun/ photographers, Eddie Ladoire/ musician and composer

Project manager: Mathieu Marion

Objectives:
Using the skills of a scientist and an artist, the pupils find ways to observe nature and talk about things that we sometimes no longer see. Eureka is a project enabling them to see physical phenomena around us. It puts a little magic into the discovery of the forces and laws of the universe, optics and mechanics.

Workshops:
The class, guided by an artist and an astrophysicist, looked at possible approaches to the theme: "the visible and the invisible", "listening to the universe", "from the earth to the moon", "from one kind of (in)visibility to another."

They then pooled what they knew about the chosen theme and discussed them. They asked questions and looked for experiences that would illustrate them. The sun, the moon, the solar system, the formation of stars gradually became exciting topics.

The artist helped the pupils use their feelings and representational skills. Under his guidance, they reconfigured, extended or extrapolated the objects discussed with the scientist. They imagined new developments for them.

The artist and the class patiently explored the objects to recreate them in various ways: trompe-l'oeil images; varied exposure times to show in a photograph things that cannot always be seen with the naked eye; photograms deforming images of the universe using pieces of tar, dead leaves, grasses, broken glass; creating images with infrared films; projection of the galaxy on faces and so on.

Outcome:
Publication of 500 copies of a newspaper presenting a selection of the art work of the five classes. Distributed to the schools.

Outings (selection):
- MUSÉE DE L’AIR ET DE L’ESPACE / GUIDED TOUR OF THE SPACE COLLECTIONS AND THE PLANETARIUM / VISIT TO THE LABORATORIES.
- PARIS-MEUDON OBSERVATORY / THE OBSERVATORY'S COLLECTIONS.
- INSTITUT D’ASTROPHYSIQUE DE PARIS /VISIT TO THIS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND DISCUSSION WITH RESEARCHERS.
- CITÉ DES SCIENCES ET DE L’INDUSTRIE / VISIT TO THE EXHIBITION "VOSTOK" AND TO THE EXPLORA SECTION OF THE CITÉ DES SCIENCES.
- PALAIS DE LA DÉCOUVERTE / DISCUSSION WITH A SCIENTIST ABOUT ASTRONOMY.

Participating schools:
- Class (3e) Collège Georges Braque, Neuilly-sur-Marne
- Class(5e) collège Jean-Baptiste Clément, Dugny
- Class(3e) Collège Jean Jaurès, Pantin
- Class(5e) Collège Lavoisier, Pantin
- Class (4e) Collège Léon Jouhaux, Livry-Gargan

Graphisme: ONE MORE STUDIO
Photo: SÉBASTIEN AGNETTI