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The Night of Ideas 2024: An Evening to Reinvent Our "Ways of Being Alive"

On June 11th, the 2024 edition of the Night of Ideas took place in Germany. This evening, dedicated to the theme "Biotopies: Ways of Being Alive," provided an opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and debate with philosophers, artists, scientists, and activists. Here is a recap of a programme rich in reflections and artistic performances. 

Updated on 15/07/2024

5 min

The Institut français of Germany has made the exchange of ideas a major focus of its programming and supports the free circulation of ideas and knowledge. It invites the public to reflect on their habits, reconsider their relationship with the world, and, within the framework of the Night of Ideas, question their connections with the Earth and all its inhabitants. The guest of honor for this edition was the writer and artist Camille de Toledo, who has been advocating for the rights of nature and the legal personhood of ecosystems for several years. 

Nuit des idées Allemagne - Biotopies. Manières d’être vivant.
Nuit des idées Allemagne - Biotopies. Manières d’être vivant.

The evening of June 11, 2024, was marked by two main panel discussions. The first, focused on the connections between democracy and ecology, brought together three young activists from France and Germany, involved in movements such as Fridays for Future and Youth for Climate. This resulted in a highly enriching exchange, fueled by their diverse perspectives and experiences. The second discussion, led by Camille de Toledo, journalist Elisabeth Weydt, and sociologist Bastien Fond, explored new ways of coexisting with living beings. 

The Night of Ideas also featured short and original intervention formats like "mini-conferences with drawings," during which author Fleur Daugey and biologist Caroline Weh presented their research and professions in fifteen minutes, accompanied by an illustrator. Additionally, there was a "fireworks of ideas," a series of short, concrete or utopian proposals made by various artists and scientists. 

Exchanging ideas, broadening our horizons of thought, and being stimulated—these are the motivations behind the Institut français of Germany's creation of the "living library" held within the media library. For a fifteen-minute one-on-one conversation, the public could "borrow" a "living book" from among twenty invited guests: for example, a researcher specializing in voodoo in Benin, a "diplomat" for raccoons, or a landscape architect. 

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La « bibliothèque vivante » - Institut français d’Allemagne
© M-Ulrich
La « bibliothèque vivante » - Institut français d’Allemagne

The Night of Ideas 2024 was conceived as an interdisciplinary event, aiming to explore our connections with living beings from multiple angles. At a single venue, the Maison de France, attendees could experience a variety of activities: the dance performance "Third Nature" to open the evening, watch Thomas Cailley's film "The Animal Kingdom," or visit the architectural exhibition "Growing Villages," which stemmed from an architectural ideas competition. 

The evening also featured the augmented reality artistic performance "Choreographic Plant Room" by Joséphine Auffray, inviting spectators to interact with a virtual, lush flora from the South Pacific. Other immersive virtual reality experiences amazed visitors, taking them to underwater worlds ("Biolum") or offering an unusual perspective of a city ("We Walked on the Earth"). 

Just before midnight, the audience gathered around the grand piano at the Maison de France to listen to artists Sara Gouzy and Justine Eckhaut perform a recital for voice and piano titled "Birdsong." Blending bird songs with human voices, this enchanting performance concluded the Night of Ideas on an inspiring and luminous note. 

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Performance de Sara Gouzy et Justine Eckhaut pour la nuit des idées
© M-Ulrich
Performance de Sara Gouzy et Justine Eckhaut pour la nuit des idées

The 2024 edition of the Night of Ideas aimed to be a window into a possible world. Organized in partnership with the Centre Marc-Bloch and the Museum für Naturkunde, it led to memorable exchanges and a diverse program. This project was designed in an eco-responsible manner, promoting sustainable mobility and offering environmentally friendly catering options. Whenever possible, a satellite program was arranged for guests from France or Belgium, allowing them to participate multiple times during their stay, including visits to Berlin schools, kindergartens (kitas), and libraries. 

L'institut français, LAB