Contemporary Art, Cinema and Science : 3 Star Systems

Over the years, I have seen many analogies between the worlds of contemporary art and film and science. These analogies can be found in the societal impact, the modes of creation and narration, the financing of the works and the importance of celebrities in the life of these creative ecosystems.

In the process of creation or discovery, these apparently very different fields both find their inspiration in a confrontation between reality and imagination on the one hand, and between introspection and the cultural environment on the other. And if we look closely at the actors in these two worlds, we see that the need to create and show is very close to the desire that motivates the quest for knowledge.

In both universes, we find at the heart of the process a need to represent a reality, subjective in the case of cinema, and temporary in the case of science, fragile and demanding in both cases. The narrative process of scientific discovery, far from resembling the singular "Eureka!" event, is a long and often tortuous process. In order for the discovery to be recognised and valued, the researcher must refine the description of the new truth, present the trajectory of the discovery, and often stage its genesis. The trajectory in science is as important as the result. In this process, which is crucial if the invention is to find its audience and impact, the researcher finds himself, from the conception of the experiment to the moments following the discovery, in the shoes of the scriptwriter and director.

In both worlds, activities start with a bet on the imagination, and those who wish to work in it encounter the same problems of financing. The financial and human investment, often very important, is, in both worlds, perceived as very risky. Indeed, its success can only be verified at the very end of the process. And to finance it, a great deal of work is required in terms of presentation and endorsement by renowned ambassadors, agents or celebrities. It is therefore natural that in these two worlds, a "star system" is emerging where celebrities, whether from the world of cinema or science, are one of the keys to confidence and success.

The two worlds are also similar in terms of the formidable creation of value, beyond the commercial and financial stakes: the value of aesthetic emotion on the one hand, and the value of knowledge on the other. Emotion and knowledge are difficult to measure, but both have a very real value. This societal value, which is never denied, justifies the public funding that we find in the cinema, as in scientific research.

This value chain, which is more fragile than that of most industrial goods, must be supported by specific tools, public aid, but above all festivals for cinema and major international scientific congresses for research. It is interesting to note that these congresses or festivals have very similar functions: they show the public and professionals the productions of their sector, modify the horizon of expectations for the years to come, compare and reward works or discoveries.