Creapoly exhibition to kick off Les Culturelles

Les Culturelles, which returns for its ninth edition, will open with a Creapoly exhibition showcasing artworks created by EPFL staff. Thirty people responded to the call for submissions, and the techniques on display – acrylic, watercolor, ceramics, collage, ink, charcoal, oils, pastels, palette-knife painting, drypoint and wood sculpture – are almost as numerous and diverse as the artists themselves.

• The exhibition is open to the public from Friday, October 9, through Monday, October 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Foyer SG. The building will be open on the weekend as a special exception.

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Spotlight on four featured artists

Most of the contributors have been drawing, painting and creating other forms of art since childhood and often take inspiration from their working lives. One of them is Martine Harmel, who decided to get back to basics after years of producing portraits and landscapes under considerable self-imposed pressure: “I started drawing on ordinary sheets of paper, without worrying about making mistakes. I just wanted to clear my mind, unwind and have fun, while experimenting with new techniques. Of course, my role at the Space Center is a source of inspiration – hence the astronauts and extraterrestrials that occasionally pop up in my work.”

For Katherine Loh, art is a way to record her thoughts and make sense of them: “Art has taught me to embrace failure. I fail constantly – while mixing colors and experimenting with new techniques, and when I become frustrated because I can’t get an idea down on canvas. But even when I’m unhappy with the finished piece, I still get a sense of satisfaction from having seen it through to the end.”

Some of the Creapoly contributors also have a formal background in art. Christian Vonarburg, for example, began his studies at art school and has exhibited his work at galleries in Tokyo, Bogota and Woodstock. He approaches art as a process of exploration and experimentation: “It allows me to observe, question and build structures without necessarily looking for an immediate answer or a specific outcome.” His sources of inspiration range from geometry and architecture to perception and the patterns of organization that emerge within systems.

Yves Leterrier, a materials science researcher, creates enigmatic collages with titles drawn from Surrealist poetry. These in turn provide inspiration for his paintings, which bear witness to the longstanding artistic ties between France and Japan. “I reinterpret works dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries, first creating collages that combine ukiyo-e landscapes with figures from both the French and Japanese cultures as well as different periods.” Leterrier’s work has been shown in galleries in Lausanne and New York, with pieces acquired by private collectors in Switzerland, France, the United States, Chile and Japan.

Creativity: A Partner in Well-Being

Creapoly is a great opportunity to discover another side of our EPFL colleagues. The initiative emerged from discussions between the Culture Department (within the Vice Presidency for Innovation and Impact) and the Vice Presidency for Human Development about the role of creativity in everyday life and how it can support mental health. That makes Creapoly a natural bridge between the Health Days event and Les Culturelles.

Meet the CREApoly artists

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From student projects to guest artists

Les Culturelles also provides a platform for artistic projects led by student associations. This year, AAIE (EPFL Artists and Engineers Association) was awarded a grant to take part in the festival. Its project, Petrichor, will be on display from October 15 to December 10 on the Diagonale, across from the MX building. This sculpture combines engineering, creativity, and environmental awareness.

This fall’s edition also features an impressive lineup of guests, including filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Bron; Stephen McHolm, Director of the Verbier Festival Academy; artist and filmmaker Pauline Julier; Eric Vautrin, dramaturg at the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne; internationally renowned drummer Julian Sartorius; artist duos Andrea Anner & Thibault Brevet (AATB) and Annelore Schneider & Claude Piguet (collectif_fact); and the Hydromondes collective.

All events are free and open to everyone, so feel free to bring your colleagues, friends and family members along.

> Full program for Les Culturelles