Paul Mouginot talks with us about what's beautiful, art, and new technologies
The concept of beauty is no longer just an esthetic ideal, it’s at the heart of the political, cultural, and ethical struggles our societies are going through.
It represents a central challenge for brands, who must create their own definition of what’s beautiful to meet the expectations of increasingly informed and demanding consumers.
On 27 June we’ll investigate the meaning of beauty at the “Beau? New definitions, new representations” event at the Cité de l’Architecture.
We’ve organized talks with leading figures, an exclusive preview of our new “Beau?” report, and a round table bringing together the most influential artists, fashion designers, and artisans.
One of these guests is Paul Mouginot, founder of the Aurèce Vettier Studio and tech entrepreneur. During an interview, he gave us a preview of his ideas about what beauty is and its relationship to algorithms.
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Hello Paul! You’ll be part of NellyRodi’s “Beau? New definitions, new representations” conference the morning of 27 June, and we can’t wait to hear you speak!
Let’s start with a slightly philosophical question: In your life, what makes something beautiful?
Whenever I discover an artwork, an object, a landscape, or a person, I’m interested in the details before considering the overall view. I believe it’s in these details – even flaws – that the essence of beauty exists.
I really like the backgrounds of paintings, for example, the cat with the strange eyes in Manet’s “Olympia,” the dissonant harmony in the last moments of Bach’s “Saint Matthew Passion,” or the pure energy of a drill’s sound.
Can you tell us about the last time you were enthralled by something or someone beautiful?
Last month I explored a forest on a rainy day. I was by myself, I crossed paths with several animals, and all of a sudden, a ray of sunshine burst through the branches. For several minutes I was captivated by the beautiful, silent scene and by the light I saw and the light which remained invisible.
You use technology to create artwork. Would you say that algorithms can make the world more beautiful?
I don’t think that algorithms alone are enough to bring beauty to the world when they’re used in an artistic context, just like a brush alone is not enough in painting. Certainly, technology opens new perspectives and can assimilate enormous volumes of information to give artists a kind of extra serendipity. But it’s the artist who, through a series of choices and failed attempts, generates the anomalies that draw visitors in.
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