le vivre-ensemble
Our project is the result of our class of francophone cinema on the theme of living together (“le vivre-ensemble”)
In our film class, we watched 9 francophone films whose principal subject was being together (togetherness).
This theme brought us to create a common project, concerning the community of Kalamazoo College.
Working together rather than separately to try to showcase our community seemed evident to us in this period of social distancing and political division.
This theme of the common is found in the 9 films, from diverse francophone regions and different periods. It is reemerging yet again in political discourses (in France and the United States amongst others), but we nevertheless thought of this beyond all militancy and all political visions.
Indeed, it seemed to us that during this period of forced isolation, coming back to the common, re-enchanting on our level the community was a way to struggle against the ordeal lived by all individually.
The three physical projects realized by the students of the class do not have any other vocation but of attracting attention and offering an entry point towards what we have called agora, which means a place where everyone can come to affirm their vision of the community.
We create this agora, like throwing a bottle in the sea, hoping that someone grabs it and above all to open possibilities, not for ourselves but for the whole.
We call upon the goodwill of all members of the community to come offer positive thoughts to affirm our K community and we hope that everyone will take part in this project which aims to be a place of respect and equality.
Aurélie Chatton (Professor of French and Francophone Studies) and The Students of the Spring 2021 class
Agora
We, K, may be scattered all over the world through the pandemic but created this project so that social distances are only virtual.
We, K, adapted and grew together by listening to each other and giving each other grace.
We, K, find ways to connect with and support one another every day.
We, K, have learned the importance of helping and supporting those around us.
We, K, are a community that has faced many challenges, and will face many more together, we are resilient.
We, the K community, are a people, not a place, we are not constrained to a certain margin, as wherever we are in the world, we are all a part of one society.
We, K, always try to express our community in different ways.
We at K have endured hardship and got through it together.
We, K, have learned how to acclimate to a new normal where we learn how to work with each other through various types of technology.
Installations
Participate in the Agora
Type the words to express the community: “We, K, …”