The University, a place for creation #2

Avignon Université is organising the second in a series of cultural encounters with three leading figures from the world of publishing, culture and design: Héloïse Biard, Amandine Fredon and Anthony Pastor. They will be discussing the theme of young people and new narratives.

In May 2024, Claire Chazal, Lucie Marinier and Ernest Pignon-Ernest attended the first edition of these meetings, where they discussed the theme of public space as a place for creating and building a shared culture.

Programme

2.30pm-4pm: Round table "Youth and new narratives".

16:30-17:30: Thematic masterclasses 
The three guests will be taking part in themed masterclasses designed for Avignon Université students and open to the region's higher art education establishments, such as the École supérieure d'art d'Avignon (ESAA) and the Conservatoire du Grand Avignon. They offer a unique opportunity for students to exchange ideas and draw inspiration from a wide range of enriching experiences.

The guests

Héloïse Biard is Head of Digital Cultural Policies and Data & AI Strategy at the French Ministry of Culture.

Amandine Fredon is a French animated film director. She has directed several popular television series, including Music Queenswhich tells the story of the importance of women in the music industry and how they have changed the way we look at the role of women in society. She is best known for co-directing the film Le Petit Nicolas - What are we waiting for to be happy? which tells the story of how the character Petit Nicolas came to be, as well as the story of the friendship between writer René Goscinny and illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé. The film had its world premiere in 2022 at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival that same year, as well as the César for Best Animated Film in 2023. 

Anthony Pastor is a comic strip author. After training in the plastic arts, he attended the École nationale supérieure des Arts décoratifs de Paris and worked in the theatre (set design, writing). His first graphic novels were published by L'An 2 and Actes Sud, and several of his works were included in the official selection of the Angoulême Festival. He joined the Casterman catalogue in 2015 with The Trail of Queensfollowed in 2017 by Devil's Valley. The opus The woman with the star has been acclaimed by the critics. Just published Billy LavigneA western that renews the underlying ideology of the genre, where each illustration is a real painting in which ink and watercolour magnify the landscapes under the influence of Van Gogh.

Culture at the heart of Avignon Université's commitments

In line with its strategic orientations and its fundamental missions of education, research and the promotion of culture, Avignon University has made culture a strategic focus of its institutional policy, in dialogue with local players. The University as a creative hub is an opportunity to welcome artists, researchers and personalities from the world of culture.

Avignon University's choice of the theme "Youth and New Narratives" resonates with the Pact for the Future adopted in September 2024 by world leaders at the United Nations Summit on the Future, which covers a wide range of themes, including sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, youth and future generations.

This theme is intended to reflect the dynamic interplay between three major transformations of our time - the ecological transition, the digital revolution and the move towards inclusiveness - which are shaping new social narratives; and the involvement and participation of young people in these new narratives. The younger generations, directly in touch with environmental challenges, technological opportunities and a positive vision of living together through greater inclusiveness and solidarity, are both actors and narrators of these transformations and, in the cultural sector, particularly in the arts, are paving the way for new imaginaries laying the foundations for a potentially more sustainable, equitable and resilient future.

The 'Youth and new narratives' theme also aims to explore how creation and culture can represent a strategy for the future, aimed at better integrating new generations into the development of cultural policies that will have an impact on the future. This strategy for the future includes the key role played by universities in devising and promoting innovative cultural policies tailored to the diverse backgrounds of the younger generations, and in ensuring that young people play an active part in culture and creativity. In fact, it makes the university a key promoter of young people's involvement in new narratives. This strategy also includes local players, one of whose challenges in adapting and structuring local youth policies to the challenges facing society is to empower the younger generations in order to strengthen urban resilience through creativity and innovation, supported by a university cultural policy, while promoting the diversity of talent and ideas.