Armin LINKE

Project at the MaCI

April - December 2024

This research project, conducted in collaboration with Vincent Sorrel and Vanessa Nicolazic, and supported by the Cinémathèque de Grenoble, Livio de Luca (director of the UMR CNRS/MCC MAP), and Nicolas Tixier (Professor of Theory and Design at The National School of Architecture of Grenoble), delves into the personal archives of Jean-Pierre Beauviala. A pivotal figure in cinema technology over the past half-century, Beauviala is an extraordinary technologist, designer, inventor, and founder of the camera manufacturer Aaton. His passion for these fields has culminated in a rich, composite collection of objects, drawings, and thousands of analog photographs that seamlessly blend life, work, cinema, design, and architecture.

Caroline Champetier has granted us access to one of the houses renovated by Beauviala, where these private archives are housed. Through extended research in these archives and the meticulously crafted spaces, we envision an exhibition project that connects the creation of spaces with the development of cinematic tools. This project raises profound questions: How can we link inside and outside landscapes, people, and places? How do we create pathways and views that synchronize beings and objects, allowing them to coexist in the same time and space, simultaneously on the margins and at the center ?

Aaton, Beauviala's company, has produced innovative poetic technology and objects centered around the idea of a universal time, which unites people, works, techniques, artists, craftsmanship, and the industry. This research will explore how to remain eccentric relative to both capital and the capital, proposing alternative relationships with cinema while selling cameras to Hollywood without ever leaving the local neighborhood in Grenoble.

1. Archival Analysis: Catalog and analyze the extensive collection of objects, drawings, and photographs in Beauviala's archives, focusing on the interplay between his life and work.

2. Cinematic and Spatial Design: Investigate the relationship between the creation of cinematic tools and spatial design, understanding how Beauviala's architectural renovations reflect his design philosophies.

3. Temporal and Spatial Synchronization: Explore the concepts of time and space in Beauviala's work, particularly how he managed to synchronize diverse elements within his designs.

4. Innovation Examine Beauviala's approach to innovation, particularly his ability to develop media tools for an authorial and artistic form of cinema in the face of industrial and economic pressures while maintaining commercial success.

5. Continuous Improvement Philosophy: Understand Beauviala's philosophy of continuous improvement and construction in the urban and architectural development of space, applying these insights to contemporary design and cinematic tool production.

• Immersive Archival Study: Conduct thorough examinations of Beauviala's archives in Grenoble including external archive like the material at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris.
• Interdisciplinary Analysis: Combine perspectives from cinema studies, design theory, architecture, and technology to form a comprehensive understanding of Beauviala's impact.
• Collaborative Workshops: Engage with filmmakers, designers, artists, and architects to explore practical applications of Beauviala's philosophies.
• Exhibition Development: Develop an exhibition proposal that embodies the project's findings, showcasing the dynamic relationship between space and cinematic tool creation.