On March14, 2018 The French consulate in San Francisco, the Cultural and Scientific Services of the French Embassy in the United States, French Tech San Francisco, the Institut Français and the French American Cultural Society (FACS) have officially launched After Tomorrow! The exhibition "After Tomorrow" - on show at the French Residence until August 31, 2018 and curated by re.riddle - was also inaugurated.
After Tomorrow Season Launch | March 14, 2018 | French Residence
© Boris Labbé | Kyrielle
© HongtaoZhou | Textscapes
© Mark Baugh-Sasaki | Landscape and Smoke (Bay Leaves)
Into the Nearness of Distance XI | Performance by Summer Lee
© Photos by Angélique Cheronnet
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Speech delivered by Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens on the occasion of the After Tomorrow season launch:
"Good evening everyone!
Welcome to the French Residence for the launch of our new cultural season.
What a pleasure to see friends from so many different backgrounds
gathered together tonight: art, science, academia, tech. With such diversity,
we have already achieved one of our goals, and this is wonderful.
With all of you, we would like, throughout this season, to imagine what our
world will be “after tomorrow”. Indeed, as time accelerates, and innovation
constantly disrupts our lives, especially here on the West Coast, it is
tempting to say that today is already tomorrow. But who knows what our
lives will look like after tomorrow?
Born in the Silicon Valley, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is reshaping not
only our production methods, but also the core structure of our societies, of
relationships, of artistic expression and even humans’ relation to their own
condition. The most discussed question is the future of work, but there are
many other interrogations:
Will our lives be what is imagined today in science-fiction novels, films
and series?
How will machines and humans trust each other? Will we make new
rights for robots?
How will virtual reality be used in arts?
How will humanity stick together if some of us move to other planets
due to the rarefaction of resources?
How will musicians use artificial intelligence to compose new forms of
music? Will machines become new artists?
What global decision making processes would be relevant to adopt
radical technologies for example changing the planet axis or solar
radiation to correct our climate?
These are some of the many questions we would like to raise with you
during this season. They deal with science, arts, technology, economy,
sociology and politics. Of course, we’re not the first and only ones to ask
them, far from that. However, we would like, with your help, to build a
unique approach, with two strategies.
The first one: stop thinking in silos. Entrepreneurs, scientists, artists,
writers, academics: you all have a thing to say but there are not so many
opportunities to exchange together. We would like to transcend disciplines,
promote a dialogue between art, technology and science, and build bridges
between French and American communities. Because we believe that
diversity, cross-pollination and, first and foremost, mutual understanding,
are the necessary ingredients to nurture fruitful and forward-thinking
conversations. For example, a discussion between engineers and
science-fiction authors could lead to interesting ideas on how we foresee the
consumers’ tastes regarding the interior design of an autonomous car or
even a flying car. Other example: many mathematicians and data scientists
still have to discover what visual artists and musicians have already created
with the use of data.
To be fully multidisciplinary, this season is initiated collectively by all actors
representing France and working for intercultural exchanges in the region of
San Francisco: the French Consulate, the Scientific and Cultural services of
the French Embassy in the United States, the French American Cultural
Society and the French Tech San Francisco. Together, we would like to
represent the face of French innovation and carry a vision where the values
of creativity, openness, togetherness and solidarity prevail.
Our second strategy is to favor multiple forms of expression, from exhibits
and performances to conferences and concerts. We are extremely privileged
to work with the organizations you represent, in all their diversity. We are
proud to team every day with the leading artistic, scientific and
technological figures of San Francisco, the Silicon Valley, the East Bay,
Portland and Seattle. You are the vital force and the vibrant fabric of this
region, those who have a deep understanding of people and territories."