Francis Hallé & Sara Favriau

What do trees teach us?

The Foundation is broadening its field of exploration to include ecological issues through a series of online and in pair conversations "Creators facing the climate emergency". Artists, scientists and philosophers are invited to question today's world and imagine new narratives to draw more desirable futures:

Which commitment and responsibility do the artist and the philosopher have regarding this crisis?
How are artistic and writing practices impacted? Which behaviour should individually and collectively be implemented?
What new way to produce and display art while public engagement becomes increasingly immaterial?
Which vision and creativeness to be impulsed for reinventing tomorrow’s world?

Themes: Ecology of the sensitive / Primary forest / Oceanic feeling / Difference between art and science / Canopy / Circular economy

Literary references quoted during this conversation:
Francis Hallé : Main basse sur nos forêts, Gaspard D'allens (Editions du Seuil, 2019)
Sara Favriau : Construire un feu, Jack London (first publication date 1902)

In the light of a dialogue between art and science, Francis Hallé and Sara Favriau will talk about the research and collaboration they are carrying out together to illustrate a sensible ecology.

Speakers

Francis Hallé is a botanist, former professor at the Institute of Botany at Université de Montpellier. He is an expert of tropical forest ecology, he directed the renown scientific expeditions related to « Radeau des Cimes », revealing months of observations, studies and drawings of the world's forests in order to preserve plants' memory. As ardent defender of the plant world, he is pursuing the daring project to give life to a primary forest in Western Europe, whose growth and evolution would not be the result of any human intervention. He is the author of several reference books, including Atlas de botanique poétique (Arthaud, 2016), Eloge de la plante, pour une nouvelle biologie (Le Seuil, 2015), Plaidoyer pour la forêt tropicale (Actes Sud, 2014) and Plaidoyer pour l'arbre (Actes Sud, 2005).