Fools, Mages, Satraps and other Nobodies + Birds, Critters and Co

Denis Jourdin is a painter and draughtsman who trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Tours until 2015 and worked with the cultural department of the Centre Pompidou until 2000. After a period devoted to painting, drawing became the main focus of his work from the 2000s onwards.

Dominique Clément is the composer of some fifty pieces that have been widely performed in France and abroad. A musician with the Aleph ensemble for almost forty years, he taught at the CRR in Chalon-sur-Saône and subsequently at the CEFEDEM and CNSM in Lyon.

Denis Jourdin’s series of drawings revisits illustrations from popular novels of the early 20th century. Starting from a reflection on an original engraving, Denis Jourdin reveals the ghost of another image, much like a photographer in his darkroom. "Unveiling through drawing what lies on the edge of the visible allows me to see forms that make up a new structure, a world. Stroke by stroke, a universe of jesters, magicians, satraps and other characters unearthed from the depths of the engravings emerges.” A human comedy unfolds. The spectacle we discover there is the very same one our world offers us : the farce of power, wars and injustices, conspiracies, cowardice, cynicism, cruelty, truths and lies…

The piece Birds, Critters and so on was composed especially for the series by Dominique Clément. “I wanted to bring together elements from very different soundscapes: from the clacking of a stork to a traditional melody, via electronic sounds, echoing the rich and vibrant world created by Denis Jourdin.”

An informal discussion with Denis Jourdain between 2 pm and 7 pm. A 10-minute musical piece by Dominique Clément at around 7 pm–7.30 pm.