Her Story: Mélanie Laurent On The Making of Her Most Innovative Project Yet…
On display at the Expo 2020 Women’s Pavilion in partnership with Cartier, multifaceted French creative and actress shares insight into her latest exhibition, an immersive experience quite like no other…
There’s talent – as we so often refer to the personalities we see on screen, starring in Hollywood blockbusters – and then there’s the talented; and make no mistake, Mélanie Laurent falls into the second category.
While best known internationally for starring in films like Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, the French actor, filmmaker and musician is a creative force to be reckoned with; a true artist that embraces new mediums when it comes to sharing the great stories of others.
Therefore it’s easy to understand why Cartier tapped her, out of all their brand ambassadors, to curate a special experiential art exhibition at the Expo 2020 Women’s Pavilion, one that combines multisensory storytelling with technology. Mélanie’s vision has taken over the second floor of the pavilion, which has joined forces with the French luxury house, to create an immersive three-room exhibition that shares the stories of women from all walks of life, via a multimedia showcase quite unlike anything else we’ve ever experienced in Dubai.
After walking through the first part of the installation, visually influenced by the Amazonian rainforest to highlight the connection between women and the environment, visitors have the opportunity to experience something truly special in the second room: to virtually sit next to scientists and bakers, sisters and mothers, as they go about their daily routines, working across a variety of fields, shared in the form of video clips on a VR headset. The exhibition concludes with a short montage-style film, titled Mother, sharing the intimate voices of women from around the world, while touching on the themes of both womanhood and motherhood.
The space pays homage to formidable females from all four corners of the globe, honouring the commonalities of women everywhere – regardless of where they are born, marital status or socio-economic background. And while the stories are truly fascinating, the journey behind the creation of the exhibition is equally captivating, especially considering the extraordinary set of circumstances Mélanie faced in 2020 when attempting to remotely create and curate the second floor of the pavilion.
“We had one year to do everything, so we travelled a lot. And then Covid happened,” said the award-winning actor in a matter-of-fact manner, speaking exclusively with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in an interview held at the pavilion, minutes after she first saw her exhibition in person. “The thing was… it just stopped everything. I was not able to finish anything.”
Forced to reimagine her vision within the constraints of lockdown (“The first room, for example, changed a lot,” she noted, touching on how she had aspirations of bringing snow from Canada, in order to tell the stories of First Nations women – that idea was scrapped), Mélanie stated how it was probably “better for us” to have a “year of thinking” before executing the concept.
In the end it all came together, possibly even better than the original idea. Inspired by a montage film which was shared across social media during the height of a pandemic, Mother was the final piece in the puzzle that completed her artist journey.
Shedding light on how this particular video influenced the finale of exhibition (“It was a way of ending this big trip because, [in] the VR movie before it we’re traveling to 15 countries and meeting so many women…”), Mélanie described how making a montage is “a washing machine of emotion,” one that forces both the creator and the viewer to confront a variety of sentiments when experiencing the last part of the exhibition.
“I was crying at that moment because I felt like this is, first of all, three generations of women, [and it’s] the most beautiful moment where a mother comes back from work… that excitement of seeing your own baby and the respect you have for someone older who [cared for your child], it just kills me every time I watch it,” she said, revealing how the clip perfectly represents “everything” about women, a common emotion of love and respect many can relate to. “It’s just so pure, and so beautiful, and exactly what I was looking for with that VR project… she represents so much in that shot.”
Technology is making it easier for creatives like herself to share stories from all over the world, regardless of where their audience is located.
“I’ve discovered VR and it’s changed my whole life,” she said, touching on how, by sharing her films via virtual headsets at the Women’s Pavilion, it’s impacted her opinion on the future of storytelling. “I think we’re going to hear more about VR in the future, I’m sure of that… transporting yourself somewhere else, that’s another way to tell stories. It’s interesting how it’s going to really change the way of how we experience the world.”
So, what’s next? After tackling the Expo 2020 Women’s Pavilion, Mélanie has new plans to work on a music-led project.
“My next job… is an opera for Cartier. We did the opera in VR and it was presented at Lake Como last summer. Now, we’re going to do it live in Geneva… and we hope to go on tour,” she said, her eyes lighting up as she described the grand spectacle which will combine augmented reality with live performance. “I’m going to have opera singers, trapezists, dancers, water, lights – it’s going to be fire. The first part of the opera is in VR and I’m going to shoot the second part this year too.”
An experienced storyteller in her own right, the multifaceted creative is skilled at bringing her audience along on a journey, be it through the stories she tells as an actor, filmmaker, musician or, like here at the Women’s Pavilion, artist.
And what was the most challenging part of the job?
“To make it right,” Mélanie said after a pause, selecting her words carefully. “When you personally love a story, you’re moved by something specific or special. And then the whole job, the whole goal, is to translate that emotion you first had, and then to make it happen for other people. It’s coming from a very personal perspective and point of view – and then suddenly it’s for everybody. That’s the most challenging part.”
Images courtesy of Cartier
