May 13, 2024

Nuit de l’Imagination:

Bring back boredom
Reid Hall | 4 rue de Chevreuse 75006 Paris
Free and open to the public / Registration required
Register here

Delve into the depths of boredom at the Nuit de l’Imagination on May 13th. After the success of last year’s inaugural around climate, we invite you to celebrate boredom with the Columbia Global Paris Center and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

Workshops will reconcile kids and teens with boredom as a catalyst for creativity. These will include a yoga class for kids ages 5 and up with Ulrike Kezé, founder of Yogamini; a fairy tale writing workshop with Charlotte Force; a needlework or “tapisserie au point” workshop with Tapisseries de la Bûcherie; and ateliers with the REcyclerie on how to make your own “tawashi” scrubbing sponges and planting microgreens.

As the evening transitions into night, join us for Driftscape, a mesmerizing soundscape by Ursula Kwong-Brown and Daniel Erdberg. Driftscape explores the meditative qualities of sound and its connection to boredom. Discover how moments of quietude lead to insights and creativity.

Driftscape is an immersive musical performance that attempts to create a space, both personal and collective, where listeners can rest their attention for sixty minutes, be present, and allow their minds to gently wander. Inspired by the creators’ ongoing time making art in California at The Sea Ranch, a remote coastal community founded in the 1960s with utopian aspirations, the sixty-minute electro-acoustic journey fuses lush harmonies, organic soundscapes, binaural field recordings, and experimental processing to create a highly textured, subtly-evolving aural world.  The piece invites exploration of the limitless potential found in the meditative liminality between focus and distraction.

Attendees will be given a pair of wireless, over-the-ear headphones to experience the work. They have an individual volume control and are compatible with most in-ear hearing assistance devices. If you are unable to wear standard headphones, please contact us to discuss accommodation: paris.cgc@columbia.edu.

This headline event will be followed by a reception for all attendees, featuring sensory food experiences curated by Bonne Femme.

Bring back boredom.

PROGRAM

Workshops for kids and teens
16h–19h
All workshops are bilingual English/French.

17–17h45

  • Yoga/meditation for kids (5+)

16h30–18h30

  • Microgreens and tawashi workshops with the ReCyclerie (5+)
  • Fairy tale writing workshop (10+)
  • Needlepoint or “tapisserie au point” workshop (10+)

Driftscape: An immersive musical performance for all
19h

  • Soundbath experience presented by Ursula Kwong-Brown and Daniel Erdberg (1h30)

Reception to follow from 20h30.

The event will conclude at 22h.

Participants

Driftscape

Daniel Erdberg is a New York and Los Angeles based sound artist, director, writer, and composer chiefly interested in the intersection of technology and presentational aesthetics. His work has been seen (and heard!) in New York on Broadway and at theaters and concert halls around the world. Recent projects have included playback design for large-scale stadium events, sound art installations, developing a new opera about Carl Sagan and the Golden Record, recording and editing for NPR and PBS, mixing sound for artists as diverse as Lizzo and Loudon Wainwright, and contributing to the emerging standard for spatialized audio in Virtual Reality.

Ursula Kwong-Brown is an LA-based pianist/composer/arts technologist. Described as “atmospheric and accomplished” by the New York Times, her work has been performed in the United States, Europe, and Asia in diverse venues including Carnegie Hall, le Poisson Rouge, Miller Theatre, the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Sound designs include The Wizard of Oz at A.C.T., Holiday at Arena Stage, Sunday in the Park with George at Pasadena Playhouse, and the world premiere of Stonewall with NYC Opera. Ursula received her PhD in Music and New Media from UC Berkeley, and her BA in Music and Biology from Columbia University.

Yoga workshop

Ulrika Dezé works to adapt yoga and mindfulness techniques for new contexts. She holds a doctorate in Education Sciences from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the University of Geneva. The Yogamini program has been taught for over ten years in several Parisian schools, at Necker Hospital for sick children, and also in museums (yog’art workshops). Ulrika Dezé trains childhood and health professionals in France and Switzerland. She is a member of the Enfance et Attention association. Her research focuses on the impact of yoga and mindfulness practices in schools and the development of psychosocial skills.

Fairy tale writing workshop

Charlotte Force is a Franco-American writer and the Communications Coordinator for the Columbia Global Paris Center. She is engaged in promoting its public events and the Atelier podcast, as well as supporting the Paris Center’s work with associations, artists, and researchers. As a freelance writer and researcher, Charlotte works in both academic and literary modes, notably the Fortune Teller writing prompt project. Born and raised in New York, she holds a degree in history from Columbia University, and has lived in Paris since 2021. Learn more about her work.

Needlepoint workshop

Tapisseries de la Bûcherie is a company specialized in custom-made needlepoint tapestries for self-embroidery. Our range of designs includes all French styles for seats, benches, panels, playmats, cushions, tiebacks, bags, etc., as well as more contemporary creations. We can also faithfully reproduce the designs of your choice.

Tawashi + Microgreens workshops

The REcyclerie is an innovative project that combines several activities: a café-canteen in the 18th arrondissement, as well as an urban farm and a collaborative repair workshop, a resource center, and a learning center. Since 2014, La REcyclerie has aimed to raise public awareness of eco-responsible values in a playful and positive way.

Caterer

Founded in 2017 by Chef Abigail Munier (who honed her skills under Thomas Brachet and Laetitia Visse) and Tommy Kibranian, president and production manager, Bonne Femme boldly enters the realm of traditional Parisian caterers. Supported by a team of passionate and daring women, it offers seasonal, demanding, responsible, and ethical cuisine.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 19, 2025
1991 Project presents: Ukrainian Resonance: “Siimurg,”
Flute and Visual Art Performance
FEBRUARY 20, 2025
Architecture and Abstraction
Discussion between Pier Vittorio Aureli and Jana Ndiaye Berankova
FEBRUARY 24, 2025
Scents of Expression
Exploring Personal Identity and Artistic Vision Through Fragrance
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