True fraternity is recognizing the other in what is unique and irreplaceable in them.
A poem-chair
“I adopted the chair, this familiar object, a few decades ago, at a time when I wanted to create art on a human scale in public spaces, while everywhere else people opted for the monumental: it is an object shaped like the body and serves the body. It is difficult to feel exclusive ownership of an object so universally shareable. It is mine when I occupy it, but if I leave it, someone else can claim it as their chair.” Michel Goulet, artist-sculptor
Biography of Edgar Morin, sociologist and philosopher
Edgar Morin, born Edgar Nahoum on 8 July 1921 in Paris, is a French sociologist and philosopher renowned for his concept of complex thought. A member of the Resistance during the Second World War, he initially embraced communism before distancing himself from it in 1951. As a researcher at the CNRS, he developed a transdisciplinary approach and published La Méthode, a major six-volume work (1977–2004). His work explores the interactions between science, philosophy and politics, advocating a global vision of contemporary challenges. He co-founded the International Ethical, Political and Scientific Collegium and the Roosevelt Collective. A prolific author, he reflected on his own journey in Autocritique (1959), Vidal et les siens (1989) and Les souvenirs viennent à ma rencontre (2019). His influence transcends disciplinary boundaries, inspiring scholars and thinkers worldwide.
Prendre position
Prendre position is a sculpture-installation project of 47 chair-poems to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. They were installed in a flowered meadow created especially for the occasion by the campus estate service.
This artistic installation was conceived by the Quebecois artist-sculptor Michel Goulet, in collaboration with François Massut, founding director of the collective Poésie is not dead.
Each house on the campus is represented by a chair, thanks to a donation from the Maison des étudiants canadiens and the support of the Labrenne group. Each of the 47 chairs is a unique work.
