Night of Ideas - Institut français du Royaume-Uni

When registering select your preferred strand or indeed both if you wish to experience the whole Night

Programme at a glance Programme in detail

Time	Ciné Lumière	La Médiathèque	Les Salons	Ciné Lumière II	French lab
17:45-18:00	Opening
18:00-19:00	In the Company of Whales	Our Nature, Our Lives	Sounding Alive - Listening to Many Worlds	Worlding Deserts, Crafting Non-Flowers
19:10-20:10	Experimenting with Nature	Remapping Nature	A Brief Eternity	Baleinopolis	The Machine to Be Another
20:20-21:20	Our Digital Lives	AI is Us	The Soul of Instruments	...in the Machine	The Machine to Be Another
21:30-22:30	Living with Robots	When Sci-Fi Becomes Real
22:30-22:40	Closing Reflections
22:40-23:10	Tree of Light

Updates coming soon

Opening

17:45-18:00 - Ciné Lumière
On the Eve of Brexit Day
- Catherine Colonna, French Ambassador to the UK, will launch the Night of Ideas 2020.
- Theodore Zeldin, Historian and Philosopher, will share his views on Europe.
In the Company of Whales

18:00-19:00 - Ciné Lumière
Debate

How can whale societies inspire us? Ever since Herman Melville published his best-seller Moby Dick, Nature’s biggest mammals have populated dreams of generations of children and adults alike. In more recent times, adventurers and scientists have unveiled the structure of their societies, while writers and artists have been inspired to communicate with them. Come and join the whale whisperers sharing their passion and knowledge through words, sounds and images.

With
- Olivier Adam, Specialist in bioacoustics, Sorbonne University
- Philip Hoare, Author & Professor of Creative Writing, University of Southampton
- Aline Pénitot, Composer
Chaired by Tiu Similä, Specialist in Norwegian orca

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Part of the Night of Ideas
Baleinopolis

Part of Before the Night
Becoming Animal

Our Nature, Our Lives

18:00-19:00 - La Médiathèque

Debate

Humanity’s devastating impact on the earth has led to what experts call a “sixth extinction”. While alarming reports about the state of our planet are published every day, grassroots movements increase worldwide, urging governments to take action. How do individuals find ways to live and act politically within their communities in this time of environmental crisis?

With

Fehinti Balogun, Actor & Extinction Rebellion Activist
Imogen Davis, Co-founder, Native Restaurant
Joe Smith, Director, Royal Geographical Society
Yinka Shonibare, Artist

Chaired by Sonia Delesalle-Stolper, Journalist, UK correspondent for Libération

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Part of the Night of Ideas

Experimenting with Nature

Remapping Nature

Part of Before the Night

Humans: Destroyers of Earth + Q&A

Sounding Alive – Listening to Many Worlds

18:00-19:00 - Les Salons
Conversation

How does sound map the present, shape our understanding of the past, and design possible futures through the field of art, design and music? For most humans and animals, sound is an essential component of “being alive”. As we cannot close our ears, it is constantly present and immerses us in our environment. But soundmaking and listening is also a socio-political act, as it profoundly influences how we perceive a given territory and relate to its inhabitants – something we share with most animals.

With
- Jean-Luc Hervé, Composer
- Marguerite Humeau, Artist & Designer
- Salomé Voegelin, Prof. of Sound Studies, London College of Communication (UAL)
Chaired by Eric de Visscher, Visiting Professor, V&A Research Institute

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Part of the Night of Ideas
Tree of Light
The Soul of Instruments
Worlding Deserts, Crafting Non-Flowers

18:00-19:00 - Ciné Lumière II
Film & Talk

How do we interact with the environment, landscape and other species? Using different processes and digital tools, French critical designer Thomas Pausz and English digital artist Owen Hindley create ‘immersive ecosystems’. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the public.

With
- Thomas Pausz, Designer
- Owen Hindley, Digital Artist
Chaired by Nina Salomons, XR Creative and Filmmaker

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Part of Before the Night
Nostalgia for the Light

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Little Joe + Q&A
Experimenting with Nature

19:10-20:10 - Ciné Lumière
Debate

What we eat, what we wear, what we buy has a massive impact on our planet. How can we reinvent our consumer habits? And how are industries reacting to the environmental crisis? From veganism to sustainable fashion, meet the “eco-innovators” who are sourcing new materials and finding their inspiration in the natural world.

With
- François-Ghislain Morillion, Co-Founder, VEJA
- Vin, Fashion Designer, VIN + OMI
- Nicola Lawler, Senior Footwear Designer, Vivienne Westwood
Chaired by Maïa Morgensztern, Journalist And Editor, CULTURE ALT

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Part of the Night of Ideas
Worlding Deserts, Crafting Non-Flowers
Our Nature, Our Lives

Remapping Nature

19:10-20:10 - La Médiathèque

Debate

What if Nature, as a living being, took back its rights? In 2017, after 140 years of campaigning from the Maori people, the Whanguani River in New Zealand was granted the same status as a person. Join us to find new ways to map, represent and tell stories about the natural spaces we inhabit.

With

Jessica Sweidan, Founder, Flourishing Diversity Summit
Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos, Professor of Law & Theory, University of Westminster
Monica Sabolo, Journalist & Author

Chaired by Lucia Pietroiusti, Curator of the General Ecology Project, Serpentine Galleries

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Part of the Night of Ideas

Our Nature, Our Lives

Part of Before the Night

The Nine Muses

Nostalgia for the Light

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Becoming Animal

A Brief Eternity

19:10-19:40 - Les Salons
Conversation

Is it possible for us to change the way we think about living longer and what it implies?
In 70 years, life expectancy has risen by 20 to 30 years. Thanks to advances in medical technology, we dream of immortality; yet growing old is still viewed as a catastrophe. A new scientific paradigm needs a new life philosophy.

With
- Pascal Bruckner, Philosopher and Novelist
- André Spicer, Academic and Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Cass Business School, City, University of London
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Part of the Night of Ideas
When Sci-Fi Becomes Real
Baleinopolis

19:10-20:10 - Ciné Lumière II

Short Films

After the debate In the Company of Whales, dive deeper into secret whale societies with this series of short videos by Olivier Adam, currently featured in his exhibition, Baleinopolis, at the Tropical Aquarium in Paris.

Introduced by Olivier Adam, Specialist in bioacoustics and Curator of the exhibition Baleinopolis

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Part of the Night of Ideas
In the Company of Whales

Part of Before the Night
Becoming Animal
The Machine to Be Another

19:10-21:30 - La Médiathèque

VR

Conceived by the interdisciplinary art group BeAnotherLab.org to offer users a multi-sensory experience of stepping into the shoes of another person, this interactive art installation combines Virtual Reality and cognitive science to create the illusion of being in the body of someone else. The experience lasts 15 minutes and allows two users to swap bodies in real time.

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Part of the Night of Ideas
…in the Machine
When Sci-Fi Becomes Real
Our Digital Lives

20:20-21:20 - Ciné Lumière
Debate

Does your social media know you better than you know yourself? The democratisation of social networks and big data leads to a confusion between private and public; between what we really want and what we are told to like. How does this affect our capacity to make choices, and the control we have over our own lives?

With
- Mercedes Bunz, Senior Lecturer in Digital Society, King’s College London
- Lorena Jaume-Palasi, Founder, The Ethical Tech Society
- Gaspard Koenig, Philosopher & Founder of GenerationLibre
Chaired by Greg Williams, Editor-in-chief, WIRED

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Part of Before the Night
Alphaville

All About Yves + Q&A

AI is Us

20:20-21:20 - La Médiathèque

Debate

Artificial Intelligence is often considered as something outside of ourselves – but is it not rather a part of us? Recent developments lead us to wonder whether we will one day ditch our devices and connect our brains directly to a Cloud of knowledge and data. The boundaries between natural and artificial are blurred, as we wonder whether we’ll all soon become digital beings.

With

Joanna Bryson, Specialist in Artificial Intelligence
Cyril de Commarque, Artist, whose exhibition Artificialis is currently showing at the Saatchi Gallery
Sophie Hackford, Futurist

Chaired by Donna Lu, Technology Reporter, New Scientist

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Part of the Night of Ideas

Living with Robots

When Sci-Fi Becomes Real

A Brief Eternity

Part of Before the Night

All About Yves + Q&A

Little Joe + Q&A

The Soul of Instruments

20:20-21:20 - Les Salons

Talk & Concert

Does the wood instruments are made from infuse them a soul? Luthier Christian Urbita, maker of Renaud Capuçon’s newest violin Dame Aleth, will explain how the choice of timber influences the timbre of instruments, before a performance by Tessa Seymour and Alexander Soares.

Talk with Christian Urbita, Violin Maker
Followed by a concert with Tessa Seymour, Cellist and Alexander Soares, Pianist

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Part of the Night of Ideas
Sounding Alive – Listening to Many Worlds
Tree of Light
…in the Machine

20:20-21:20 - Ciné Lumière II

Short Films

Introduced by Beth Singler, Junior Research Fellow in AI, University of Cambridge, Documentary Filmmaker

Exploring everything from robots feeling pain to being ethical ‘people’ and making friends, this series of short documentaries addresses the social, philosophical and religious implications of advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics.

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Part of the Night of Ideas
Living with Robots

Part of Before the Night
Little Joe + Q&A
Living with Robots

21:30-22:30 - Ciné Lumière
Debate

Can we imagine a world in which humans and robots live side by side? In 2017, Sophia became the first robot to be given legal citizenship, raising moral questions about the future of human-robot relationships. Join experts to discuss the topic!

With
- Beth Singler, Junior Research Fellow in AI, University of Cambridge
- Sangseok You, Assistant Professor in Information Systems, HEC
Chaired by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC presenter

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Part of the Night of Ideas
…in the Machine
AI is Us

Part of Before the Night
All About Yves + Q&A

When Sci-Fi Becomes Real

21:30-22:30 - La Médiathèque

Debate

Do we already live in the world of the future? Is anticipation but a memory? The world that once only existed in the imagination of writers and directors now seems perilously real. Come and explore new ways of telling stories, and how science fiction is woven into the fabric of our lives.

With

Géraldine Bajard, Scriptwriter, Little Joe
Damian Murphy, Professor of Sound and Music Computing, University of York

Chaired by José Arroyo, Principal Teaching Fellow in Film Studies, University of Warwick

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Part of the Night of Ideas

Living with Robots

Part of Before the Night

All About Yves + Q&A

Little Joe + Q&A

Tree of Light

22:40-23:10 - Ciné Lumière
Closing Concert

French pianist, composer and artist RIOPY will close the Night of Ideas with original music from his latest album Tree of Light. “I wanted to make an album of healing, [which] is about the environment, the climate, about healing our world and healing ourselves”. A unique concert accompanied by a light show to venture into new territories.
- RIOPY
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Part of the Night of Ideas
The Soul of Instruments
Sounding Alive – Listening to Many Worlds

Master of ceremonies: Marc Bena, PwC Partner
Live drawing by Camille Aubry

from 23:15 - free glass of wine to wrap up the Night of Ideas

Opening

In the Company of Whales

Our Nature, Our Lives

Sounding Alive – Listening to Many Worlds

Worlding Deserts, Crafting Non-Flowers

Experimenting with Nature

Remapping Nature

A Brief Eternity

Baleinopolis

The Machine to Be Another

Our Digital Lives

AI is Us

The Soul of Instruments

…in the Machine

Living with Robots

When Sci-Fi Becomes Real

Tree of Light