• Opening Event: Facing Our Time

    17:00-18:00 - Ciné Lumière
    Conversations
     
    Welcome Remarks by Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Ambassador 
    What Do We Mean by European Culture and Values? By Anthony Grayling 
    Imagining and Inhabiting the Earth by Nicolas Hulot 
     
    The 2019 Night of Ideas focuses on Europe and the environment, two issues central to our societies today. Launching the Night’s discussions are interviews with philosopher and public intellectual Anthony Grayling on What Do We Mean by European Culture and Values? and Former French Minister for the Environment Nicolas Hulot on Imagining and Inhabiting the Earth.

     
    Professor Anthony Grayling, Philosopher and Master of New College of the Humanities, interviewed by Agnès Poirier, Journalist, Writer and Broadcaster

     
    Nicolas Hulot, Former French Minister for the Environment; Founder and President, Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme, interviewed by Patricia Jolly, Senior reporter, Le Monde

     
    M.C.



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Remembering a Europe of Walls and Iron Curtains
    Inhabiting the Earth: Conversations to Inspire and Provoke
  • Remembering a Europe of Walls and Iron Curtains

    18:00-18:40 - Ciné Lumière
    Debate
     
    The dismantling of the Berlin Wall remains one of the most potent political images of the 20th Century. Yet we may be too easily forgetting the history of Cold War division, and what it can teach us about European identity, the dangers of being divided, and the long struggle it took to unite the continent.

     
    With

    • Anna Kaminsky, Director of the Federal Foundation for the Study of Communist Dictatorship
    • Thomas Serrier, Professor of Contemporary German history, University of Lille and fellow 2018-2019 at Nantes Institute for Advanced Study; Coordinator of Europa. Notre histoire

    Chaired by Anna Reading, Director of the Arts and Humanities Research Institute, Professor of Culture and Creative Industries, King’s College London
     
    With live drawing by Chris Riddell, Illustrator and political Cartoonist for The Observer

     
    M.C.



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Experiencing Europe: Borderless Identities
    Debating Europe: The State of our Politics
  • Experiencing Europe: The New Generation

    18:50-19:30 - Ciné Lumière
    Debate
     
    While older generations turn away from Europe, many youth organisations today promote the idea of a shared European identity, highlighting the everyday experiences of those who consider themselves to be ‘European’. How does Europe inspire this new generation?

     
    With

    Chaired by Marie Le Conte, Journalist

     
    M.C.



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Debating Europe: Meaningful Citizen Participation
    Debating Europe: The State of our Politics
  • Experiencing Europe: Borderless Identities

    18:50-19:30 - La Médiathèque
    Conversations
     
    Those who define themselves as European often feel they belong to multiple cultures and multiple identities, and it can seem impossible to find a way for these to coexist. How do these citizens find a way to unite their different identities at a time when the continent seems more intent on restricting borders and boundaries? How can we redefine a more open European identity?

     
    With

    • Mame-Fatou Niang, Associate Professor of French and Francophone studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Co-Director of Mariannes Noires
    • Alexis Peskine, Visual Artist

    Chaired by Hélène Neveu Kringelbach, Associate Professor in African Studies, UCL



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Remembering a Europe of Walls and Iron Curtains
  • Experiencing Europe: Borderless Artists

    18:50-19:30 - Les Salons
    Talk
     
    Awarded the Louise Weiss Prize for European Journalism and recently invited at the Frontline club in London to discuss the power of art in times of War, Elisa Perrigueur draws what she sees while reporting abroad on migration throughout Europe, from Lesbos to Calais: sea borders, areas of no rights, anonymous people who don’t want to be identified. Elisa will present a selection of her paintings from the exhibition Migrations, les escales du vide, bringing light to the complexity of migration and exile.

     
    With

    Interviewed by Antoine Giniaux, London correspondent for Radio France, Grand Reporter for France Inter



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Debating Europe: Meaningful Citizen Participation
    Experiencing Europe: Sounds Crossing Borders
  • Debating Europe: Meaningful Citizen Participation

    19:40-20:30 - La Médiathèque
    Debate
     
    European politics is often perceived as distant and abstract, yet many citizens are actively engaged in grassroots initiatives. How can harnessing the people’s democratic power effectively bring about change within the EU?

     
    With

    Chaired by Sharon Leclercq-Spooner, Senior Adviser, EPPA; Board Member Fondation EURACTIV



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Remembering a Europe of Walls and Iron Curtains
    Experiencing Europe: Borderless Artists
  • Debating Europe: The State of our Politics

    19:40-20:30 - Ciné Lumière
    Conversation & Debate
     
    Europe is at the heart of many national political agendas today. How has the European question shaped, and been shaped by, political parties in the UK and France, and elsewhere in Europe? And what can we expect for the future of “European” politics?

     

    • Conversation with Tom Tugendhat
      Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
    •  

    • Debate
    • With

    Chaired by Agnès Alexandre-Collier, CNRS Visiting Researcher at the Maison Française d’Oxford

     
    With live drawing by Chris Riddell, Illustrator and political Cartoonist for The Observer

     
    M.C.



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Remembering a Europe of Walls and Iron Curtains
    Experiencing Europe: The New Generation
    Experiencing Europe: Borderless Identities
  • Experiencing Europe: Sounds Crossing Borders

    19:40-20:30 - Les Salons
    Talk & Performance
     
    Through language and music, sound is at the heart of Europe’s diverse identity, in which socio-economic exchanges have constantly fostered new forms of expression. Comparing the influence of immigration on popular music in Paris and London is one way of seeing this; deepening the notion of linguistic exchange through sound poetry is another one.

     
    With

    • Caroline Bergvall, Writer and Sound Artist; Visiting Professor at King’s College London; first recipient of the Bernard Heidsieck-Centre Pompidou Literary Prize
    • Martin Evans, Professor of European History, University of Sussex; Co-curator of the forthcoming exhibition Paris-London Music Migrations in Paris
    • Babak Goodarzi, Filmmaker; Director of music videos for Asian Dub Foundation

    Chaired by Eric de Visscher, Visiting Professor at the V&A Research Institute



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Experiencing Europe: The New Generation
    Experiencing Europe: Borderless Artists
    Closing Concert – Singing the Earth: Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
    Concert with Dame Civile
  • Concert with Dame Civile

    20:40-21:20 - La Médiathèque
    Concert
     
    A fast-rising duo of brothers from Noisy-Le-Sec in the eastern suburbs of Paris, Killian and Marvin’s uncategorisable, defiantly modern soundscapes encompass influences from hip-hop to classic chanson, via the electronic experimentation and twisted pop hooks of James Blake and Björk.

     



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Experiencing Europe: Sounds Crossing Borders
    Closing Concert – Singing the Earth: Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
    Imagining the Earth: Arts and Sciences
  • Inhabiting the Earth: Conversations to Inspire and Provoke

    20:40-21:30 - Ciné Lumière
    Debate
     
    Activists, scientists and academics: how and why do they use their influence and expertise to raise awareness on the environmental crisis? How can we all engage in environmentally conscious behaviour and contribute towards changing our future?

     
    With

    • Nicolas Hulot, Former French Minister for the Environment; Founder and President, Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme
    • Joanna Haigh, Professor of Atmospheric Physics, Co-Director of the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London
    • Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development, University of Surrey, Director of CUSP, Author of Prosperity Without Growth

    Chaired by Pilita Clark, Associate Editor and Columnist, Financial Times

     
    M.C.



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Inhabiting the Earth: The New Generation
    Imagining the Earth: Turning the Tide
  • Imagining the Earth: Turning the Tide

    21:40-22:30 - La Médiathèque
    Debate
     
    The ocean is the heart of the planet: it’s a vital source of food and oxygen, as well as climate regulator. Keeping our oceans healthy is crucial in helping us to avoid the worst of climate change damage. Each year, however, millions of pounds of plastic are dumped into the ocean, which, once broken down can cause drastic changes to the environment. What solutions exist to prevent plastics from being thrown away? How can we turn the recycling crisis into an opportunity?

     
    With

    Chaired by Patricia Jolly, Senior Reporter, Le Monde



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Closing Concert – Singing the Earth: Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
  • Imagining the Earth: Arts and Sciences

    21:40-22:30 - Les Salons
    Exhibition & Talk
     
    Áinne Burke is the current artist in residence at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London. Through a series of paintings and installations, she will explore the human relationship to natural elements.

     
    Introduced by Abbie Stone, Imperial College

     

    • Áinne Burke, Artist in residence at Grantham Institute, Imperial College London


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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Inhabiting the Earth: The New Generation
    Inhabiting the Earth: Conversations to Inspire and Provoke
    Closing Concert – Singing the Earth: Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
  • Inhabiting the Earth: The New Generation

    21:40-22:30 - Ciné Lumière
    Debate
     
    How can we imagine a better tomorrow for our planet, and for the generations who will inhabit it? Documentary makers and youth organisations discuss how we can raise awareness on environmental issues.

     
    With

    • Dominik Bari, Filmmaker (Oymyakon: The Story of the Coldest Inhabited Place)
    • Cyril Dion, Environmental Activist; Filmmaker (Tomorrow, After Tomorrow)
    • Alice Guillaume, Previous Campaigns Officer, Cambridge Zero Carbon Society

    Chaired by Daisy Kendrick, Founder, Ocean Generation

     
    With live drawing by Chris Riddell, Illustrator and political Cartoonist for The Observer

     
    M.C.



    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Opening Event: Facing Our Time
    Imagining the Earth: Arts and Sciences
    Closing Concert – Singing the Earth: Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
  • Closing Concert – Singing the Earth: Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith

    22:30-23:00 - La Médiathèque
    Concert
     
    The highly acclaimed folk duo released their new album Many A Thousand in September 2018 and writes songs that explicitly engage with environmental concerns. According to The Observermaking common cause between antique songs and present circumstances is one of the grails of modern folk, one this young duo pull off impressively.

     
    The closing concert will include a free glass of wine.

     



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    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Imagining the Earth: Arts and Sciences
    Concert with Dame Civile
  • The Earth in Virtual Reality

    18:00-20:30 - La Médiathèque
    Virtual Reality
     
    During the night, get a chance to experiment Virtual Reality and discover how this new technology can help people to get a deeper appreciation of the environmental challenges.