REYNETTE Françoise
Innovative practice : Awakening to art through the senses
In 2015 Artesens will have 20 years of existence
Twenty years soon will pass since I first conceptualized the Artesens project. A
series of exhibits designed to reach a larger and disabled public and especially
visually impaired persons. The impulsion to establish such a project affirmed itself
while I was working for various Paris museums. At the time I was spokesperson for
the Cité des Sciences de la Villette and in charge for the development of museum
pieces on architecture but also creating and producing numerous exhibitions for the
Musée en Herbe.
Finally in 1999, becoming a reality, Artesens decided to migrate south to sunny Aixen-Provence and its inspiring Cézanne landscapes.
Projects for all: art without exclusions
Our exhibits’ claim is to give a strong interactive, sensorial and playing approach to
the discovery of more prestigious works of art from our cultural heritage, from ancient
time to contemporary days. The distinction in the advancement of our concept is
to provide to different types of visitors a common access to the discovery of
sensorial modules. Child and adult gather the essence adapted to their level of
expectation and curiosity, as side by side, the visually impaired and the visually
healthy may share an experience of discovering a masterpiece. Braking boundaries
to allow an exchange between a child and an adult, a disabled and an enabled.
Taking in consideration the differences in the perception of matter allows for a given
form of common access to content.
A sensorial approach to works
At stake is our capacity to stimulate all five senses and in particular the touch,
helping artistic awareness to develop, learning while feeling memorable moments of
emotion, in harmony with the esthetics of the content. Tactile, sound, olfactory and
even gustatory devices associated with the view bring together an experience, rich in
emotion and perception by the senses.
This venture with the senses shows the way to other forms of perception and allows
total immersion with the work.
Itinerant exhibitions of Artesens
We conceive and produce touring exhibitions for which we choose the different
themes. They travel to museums and cultural institutions around France and abroad.
We also organize the possibility to meet different publics in specialized institutions for
disabled persons but also in rural and disadvantaged areas.
Here are some of the exhibits currently touring :
Jeux de Sculptures explores the development of statuary from Stone-Ages to
Rodin’s time, touching the reproduction of the sculpture, its original material
composition, then to be recomposed such as a three dimensions puzzle with blocks
in volume.
Sensations de Nature avec Cézanne is a workshop exhibit composed of 14
Cézanne paintings and its tactile and olfactory reproductions. : stills, portraits and
lanscapes.
In the exhibit Touches et notes de lumière visitors touch tactile reproductions of
famous art works of the twentieth century while listening to music associated with
that same period of creativity.
La Joconde est dans l’escalier gives an explanation for the development of
contemporary art by tracing back the inspiration and the peculiar vision of artists of
the twentieth century to the Renaissance period.
Tactile adaptations for museums
Artesens takes order from various museums for the tactile adaptation of major works.
Here are a few examples:
Claude Monet at l’Abbaye de Flaran (Flaran Abbey)
Brueghel at the Musée de Beaux Arts de Lille (Fine Arts Museum of Lille)
The Carnaval at the museum of Cassel
The rape of Proserpina by Pluto at the museum in Sceaux
The Virgin among the virgins at the Rouen Museum
Working skills for adaptations
While working in close collaboration with various artists and plastics technicians we
may use various materials such as wood, resin, synthetic china, textiles, fibers and
different applications which result to a skilled expertise in the adaptation of major
works.
Some constraining aspects
Sometimes we are confronted to the criticism of some museums curators and
professionals of the Fine Arts. To them, touching seems incompatible with the
discovery of reproductions of major masterpieces, especially in paintings. Be
assured that we always encourage our visitors to take the time to go and discover the
original works in museums. We make sure that our action is associated to an oral
dissertation in front of the original work, which visually impaired persons can also
appreciate.
DIVINA NATURA EXHIBITION
Artesens’ last creation, Divina Natura, a praise to the fertility of the Earth, blends
ancient works from various regions of the world with more contemporary artists using
plasticity and sound. Staged in eight thematic spaces to grasp the finest sensibility of
the visitor during this multi sensorial journey.
The presentation was also produced in English so it may travel around the globe.
Our recognition goes to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for its generous
contribution. It has permitted us to bring about this exhibit but also to finance the
transportation of the Greece module so you may discover it here in the conference
place in Vienna.
Artesens web site : www.artesens.org