Nocturne Workshop Marc Camille Chaimowicz (FR/EN)
In his exhibition at WIELS, Marc Camille Chaimowicz presents 40 collages inspired by the fictional character of Madame Bovary, the anti-heroine of Gustave Flaubert's novel of the same name, published in 1856. Chaimowicz has long felt a fascination for this character trapped in a life constricted by the conventions of his time. Confined to his London flat during the pandemic, Chaimowicz created these collages over the course of two years, which he sent to the curator of the American Night exhibition, Zoë Gray, as visual letters.
To tap into the intersecting worlds of Marc Camille Chaimowicz and Emma Bovary, we offer a series of workshops in 'arpentage' an active and participatory process of reading and creative writing. Come to one workshop or follow the whole series of sessions which will alternate between French and English.
Sessions overview:
TRADUIRE DES MONDES (01.03) - FR
TRANSLATING WORLDS (08.03) - EN (more info below)
L’OBJET LIVRE (05.04) - FR (postponed to 03.05 at 17:00)
THE BOOK OBJECT (03.05) - EN (more info below)
BOVARYSME, Moeurs modernes (07.06) - FR
BOVARYSME, Modern manners (05.07) - EN - CANCELLED (we apologise for the inconvenience)
LA CONSTELLATION D’UNE OEUVRE (02.08) - FR
> Consult the French version of this page for more info on the workshops in French.
TRANSLATING WORLDS (08.03)
For this 8th of March (International Women’s Day), we will start exploring the enigmatic figure of Eleanor Marx-Aveling, Flaubert's translator and Karl Marx's daughter, whom Marc Camille Chaimowicz named on the first page of the Madame Bovary illustrated by his images - the core at the heart of his exhibition.
After arpentage (a group reading technique developed in popular education/ a participative reading method) reading session and subsequent sharing in the group, we will discuss these female figures through the prisms of the illustrious men that concealed and revealed them: Eleanor Marx, her father, her lovers, like Emma’s, as well as Flaubert the author himself. A creative writing session exploring these tensions will follow.
THE BOOK OBJECT (03.05)
“Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.” - Mark Twain
“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.” - R.L. Stevenson
We will start off by exploring the differences we might find between reading an art book and a paperback, or between taking notes as a reader and as a writer. With a series of writing prompts, we will then have a creative sharing session exploring another embodiment of text: our voices.
BOVARYSME, Modern manners (05.07)
Bovarysme: domination by such an idealized, glamorized, glorified, or otherwise unreal conception of oneself that it results in dramatic personal conflict (as in tragedy), in markedly unusual behaviour (as in paranoia), or in great achievement. (Merriam-Webster)
What does it mean when a fictional character becomes archetypal? A Lolita, the Peter Pan syndrome, the madwoman in the attic… these potent figures often define an attitude to life. Together we will discuss fictional characters we have chosen as beacons for various reasons and write around their themes.