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Programme at a glance Programme in detail

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

    Chaired by Tiu Similä, Specialist in Norwegian orca



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  • 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

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



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  • 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

    Chaired by Eric de Visscher, Visiting Professor, V&A Research Institute



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  • 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

    Chaired by Nina Salomons, XR Creative and Filmmaker



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  • 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

    Chaired by Maïa Morgensztern, Journalist And Editor, CULTURE ALT



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  • 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

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



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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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

    Chaired by Greg Williams, Editor-in-chief, WIRED



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  • 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

    Chaired by Donna Lu, Technology Reporter, New Scientist



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  • 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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  • …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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  • 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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  • 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

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



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  • 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.

     



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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