Art at university
The Sète-based collective Microclimax, made up of visual artist and designer Carolyn Wittendal and architect and artist Benjamin Jacquemet, presents the multi-site exhibition Chimæra at the end of their residency.
Opening Thursday, April 2 at 12:30 p.m. at the University Science Library on the Triolet campus of the University of Montpellier.
Exhibition until June 19 (University Science Library – Triolet Campus – University Law, Political Science, Economics, and Management Library – Jardin des Plantes – Faculty of Law – Faculty of Dentistry.
Focused on fusion, the Microclimax artist residency is a veritable exploratory marathon that began in November 2014 with an initial immersion phase. Throughout the various stages of the residency, the artist duo drew inspiration from visits to and discoveries of various iconic locations at the university.
Fruitful and inspiring encounters and exchanges with students, teachers, and Professors initiated the creative process for more than ten works. The Chimæra exhibition offers us a unique encounter between art and knowledge, extending to the entire University of Montpellier.
Montpellier University, a welcoming place for artists
The University of Montpellier has an artist residency program that immerses an artist or artistic team in the university and scientific environment, which they then use as inspiration to create one or more works.
Since 2010, the former University of Montpellier 2 has organized five artist residencies, mainly with visual artists. The University of Montpellier's artist residencies have been supported by the DRAC (Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs) since 2013/2014.
Artist residencies in universities have a dual purpose: to enable artists to create original works and to raise awareness of artistic expression among the university community.
The university thus acts as a host structure that supports the artist in the design and production of one or more works: it provides the artist with the necessary technical and financial conditions and facilitates contact between the artist and the various university representatives who may be involved more or less directly in the production phase of the works (departments, programs, Professors, etc.).
In line with this collaborative approach, the invited artists commit to an active presence within the host institution and offer outreach activities to the university community.
Two outreach events are planned with the artists from the Microclimax collective: Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10, as part of the 2015 Arts and Culture Days in Higher Education (April 8-10).
Two meetings with the artists will take place on Thursday, April 30, at 1:00 p.m. at the Sciences university library on the Triolet campus and at 2:30 p.m. at the Law, Political Science, Economics, and Management university library on the Richter site.
The exhibition can also be visited by appointment.
Contact: Art & Culture Department 04.67.14.48.34 or 06.37.32.63.79
The Art & Culture Department is an added value of the merger: originally part of the Culture Department of the former Montpellier 2 University, it brings artistic and cultural dynamism to the new University of Montpellier and draws its richness from the diversity of campuses, student populations, and disciplines. This department spearheads the university's artistic and cultural policy, which it implements and seeks to develop and reinvent on a daily basis.