Cultural Centre

Convent of LA TOURETTE

Thomas More Centre



From image to virtual: to think the screen

Meeting and Electronic projection at the convent of La Tourette in France



The weekend of 23/24 in November, 2002 takes place, in the convent of La To=
urette, the Thomas More Meeting: " From image to virtual: think of the scre=
en ". This will give the opportunity to hear several French-speaking academ=
ics and philosophers (Jean-Clet Martin, Marie-Jose Mondzain, Jean-Louis W=
eissberg, Wolfgang Wackernagel, Jean-Jacques Wunenberger). This meeting wil=
l settle, at the rhythm of the stay, a dialogue with the public.



In connection with this Thomas More Meeting, the Cultural Centre of La Tour=
ette proposes on Saturdays an electronic projection which will take place i=
n the atrium of the convent. This Franck Ancel's realization follows upon a=
residence, in association with Joachim Montessuis and Franck Olivier. His =
installation will put in echo the subject of the Meeting and the so particu=
lar architecture of the convent.



"It's from the atrium that we understand better the use of the church, and =
it of Corbusier on architecture which is traversed. A building is a sculpt=
ure in which one penetration; with three dimensions of this one add a fourt=
h, which is that of the time of the course. This other dimension does not =
give a global vision but a succession of sequences connected between them b=
y the memory and intelligence, as if the building had multiple possible vis=
ions"

Extracts from the guide of the La Tourette convent



The device consists in the projection of video in real time and numeric ima=
ges. For the presentation of this project, Franck Ancel also chose the read=
ing of the German architect Philippe Oswalt in his text "Polytopes de Xenak=
is" (1991):



"The church space which Xenakis and Le Corbusier designed together is a sor=
t of camera obscura: the room is dark. A small square opening in the ceilin=
g projects the image of the sun on the floor. The movement of the sun is re=
presented by this wandering spot of light in the interior. Yet that is not =
all. The exterior walls of the lower floors of the monastery were designed =
by Xenakis as 'musical glass walls.' Also called 'ondulatoires,' they are c=
omposed of vertical strips of concrete and strips of glass of different wid=
ths. The constantly changing rhythm of open and closed is projected by the =
sunlight onto the floor. The floor becomes a projection screen. The walls f=
ade in our perception. "



It is in these opening, thanks to the contemporary use of the numeric that =
another set of projection will be set up at nightfall. By it, this short-li=
ved action describes formally the frame of a "scenography of the electronic=
image", anticipated since 1963 by Jacques Polieri.



Between theory and practical, Franck Ancel is the author of several texts w=
hich confront Art with the comtempory mutation. He also organized meeting o=
n