Bring New Life to Coral Reefs by Jérémy Gobé
Jérémy Gobé, an innovator and a visual artist has dedicated himself to biomimetic creation, art, and public education in the past decade in order to save the coral reefs on the globe. With his acute observation, Jérémy noticed similarities between coral reefs and traditional French lace patterns, Point d’Esprit, in terms of their shapes, textures, and characteristics. With this discovery, Jérémy founded Corail Artefact, a Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) program, in paving way for designing coral-like laces in conjunction with bio-friendly materials such as cotton, concrete, and underwater tools. This is based on the knowledge that corals tend to grow in clusters so anything placed next to them has to resemble them in order for them to grow. By placing these coral-like biomimetic artifacts around real corals, it would provide support for corals to regenerate themselves.
In the meantime, Jérémy has created 3D art installations, given lectures, and presentations around France to raise the public’s awareness of the environmental threats to coral reefs. His relentless efforts have received industrial support from companies such as Maison Solstiss. makers of Leavers lace; LVMH in cohosting exhibitions around the world; and collaborate with Coraïbes in testing the project in an outdoor seawater aquarium on the Guadeloupe island in the Caribbeans.
Hope the following interview with Jérémy could inspire you to draw inspiration from nature and take action in saving this beautiful planet.
(Please note that Jérémy Gobé provided his answers to our questions in French. In the following, we will provide his answers in both French and translated to English.)
Q: You have been at the forefront of connecting art with environmental concerns. Please introduce yourself to our readers regarding your training and beliefs.
A: Je m’appelle Jérémy Gobé, je suis artiste plasticien et mon travail s’oriente autour des questions de la transmission, de l’écologie, des avoirs-faires et de la création contemporaine.
My name is Jérémy Gobé, I am a visual artist and my work is oriented around questions of transmission, ecology, know-how, and contemporary creation.
Q: In your opinion, what is the most concerning environmental issue on our planet and why?
A: Je pense que le plus grand enjeu environnemental est le manque de communication et de prise de décisions collégiales entre tout les acteurs de la société. Je travail particulièrement à la protection et à la régénération des coraux car c’est une espèce primordiale à notre vie sur Terre mais aussi parce que c’est un symbole. Tout le monde à une image de corail en tête et ce symbole je souhaite qu’il puisse réunir tout un chacun pour qu’ensemble nous agissions pour notre planète, notre futur avec des solutions qui aident à la fois la nature et chacun à mieux vivre.
I think the biggest environmental issue is the lack of communication and collegial decision-making between all the players in society. I work particularly in the protection and regeneration of corals because it is a species essential to our life on Earth but also because it is a symbol. Everyone has an image of coral in mind and this symbol I hope it can bring everyone together so that together we act for our planet, our future with solutions that help both nature and everyone to live better.
Q: You have exhibited your art in major cities around the world. Please share with us some of your exhibitions, especially the one you partnered with L’institut des Métiers d’Excellence LVMH.
A: J’ai exposé au Bass Museum de Miami, à la FIAC avec mon projet en collaboration avec des artisanes migrantes et LVMH, au Palais de Tokyo, au CENTQUATRE, au YUZ Museum de Shangaï, … (voir mon cv sur mon site web www.jeremygobe.info rubrique vitae/biographie).
I exhibited at the Bass Museum in Miami (USA), at the FIAC with my project in collaboration with migrant craftswomen and LVMH, at the Palais de Tokyo (France), at the CENTQUATRE (France), at the YUZ Museum in Shanghai (China), … (see my CV on my website www. jeremygobe.info section vitae/biography).
Q: What are your inspirational sources and how do you transform them into art?
A: Ma plus grande source d’inspiration est la nature mais je suis également beaucoup inspiré par les savoirs-faires, ce que les Hommes ont transformé ou encore crée pour aboutir à une création. On retrouve dans ces deux éléments tout un système, un langage qui leur permet de se développer et c’est finalement ces langages qui m’inspirent des images, des œuvres mais aussi de nouveaux langages que je tente de créer.
My greatest source of inspiration is nature but I am also very inspired by know-how, what men have transformed or even created. We find in these two elements a whole system, a language that allows them to develop and it is ultimately these languages that inspire my artwork but also new languages that I try to create.
Q: Was there a life-changing experience that made a great impact on your art career? If yes, what was it?
A: L’événement le plus impactant dans ma carrière a été mon choix d’entrer dans des études d’art. J’avais réalisé un bac scientifique et commencé des études d’architectures mais j’ai toujours aimé écrire, dessiner et la philosophie. Je n’imaginais pas pourtant qu’un métier, une formation, permettait de réunir ces différents domaines et c’es tpar hasard que j’ai découvert les Beaux-Arts. Il a fallut que je quitte ma vie d’avant pour entrer dans la création et je ne regretterai jamais ce choix.
The most impactful event in my career was my choice to enter art studies. I had completed a scientific baccalaureate and started studying architecture but I have always liked writing, drawing, and philosophy. However, I did not imagine that a profession, a training, made it possible to bring together these different fields and it was by chance that I discovered the Fine Arts. I had to leave my previous life to enter the world of creation and I will never regret this choice.
Q: Please tell us more about the Corail Artefact which was founded by you. What are its missions and accomplishments?
A: Corail Artefact c’est un projet qui allie l’art, la science l’industrie et l’éducation pour sauver les barrières de coraux. Je développe au sein de ce projet tant des œuvres artistiques que des protocoles de recherches et des solutions concrètes innovantes et toujours avec des matériaux et des fonctionnements respectueux de l’environnement. Mon but est d’abord d’inspirer, montrer aussi que l’art peut-être le moteur de vraies solutions pour notre avenir.
Corail Artefact is a project that combines art, science, industry, and education to save coral reefs. Within this project, I develop artistic works as well as research protocols and innovative concrete solutions, always with materials and operations that respect the environment. First of all, my goal is to inspire, also to show that art can be the engine of real solutions for our future.
Q: What is Point d’Esprit? How does it inspire you in helping coral reef regeneration?
A: Le point d’esprit est un motif traditionnel d’une téchnique de dentelle que l’on appelle au fuseau qui se travaille avec des gouges en bois. Il ressemble à s’y méprendre au dessin d’un des coraux que j’utilise dans mes œuvres. L’idée de partir de ce motif est celle du biomimetisme, c’est-à-dire de s’inspirer de la nature pour trouver des solutions aux enjeux de notre époque. Je crois que le corail est une espèce intélligente qui reconnait ses semblables et donc le support pour régnérer les récifs se doit de ressembler au corail. De plus, le tissage de ce motif a des propriétés mécanique comme le relief, la rugosité et la transparence qui jouent sur son efficacité en tant que support d’accroche des larves de coraux.
The Point d’Esprit is a traditional motif of a lace technique called the spindle which is worked with wooden gouges. It looks like the drawing of one of the corals that I use in my works. The conceptual basis of this motif is that of biomimetism, that is, to glean inspiration from nature to find solutions to the challenges of our time. I believe that coral is an intelligent species that recognizes its fellows and therefore the reef support must resemble coral. In addition, the weaving of this pattern has mechanical properties such as relief, roughness, and transparency which facilitate its effectiveness as a support for hanging coral larvae.
Q: What is your advice to aspiring young artists who also want to help our environment?
A: Difficile de donner des ocnseils mais je pourrais dire ici que ce qui m’aide au quotidien pour toujours repousser mes limites, c’est d’apprendre chaque jour un peu plus à me connaître et à avoir confiance en moi. Au départ, peu de gens à part mon associée Claire Durand-Ruel ne croyaient qu’un artiste pouvait aussi créer des entreprises, mener des protocoles de recherche, … tout en restant artiste. Mais avec le temps et en me relevant de chaque épreuve, j’ai acquis la confiance nécéssaire pour avancer et faire évoluer le projet comme mes créations.
Difficult to give advice but I could say here that what helps me on a daily basis to always push my limits; to learn every day a little more to know myself and to have confidence in myself. At the start, few people apart from my partner Claire Durand-Ruel believed that an artist could also create businesses, carry out research protocols,… while remaining an artist. But over time and by achieving each test, I acquired the necessary confidence to move forward and develop a new project as my creation.
Q: Do you have any future projects or exhibitions that you wish to share with our readers?
A: En ce moment est exposé une installation Corail Artefact au pavillon français de l’exposition universelle à Dubaï. D’autres projets sont en court de formalisation, suivez moi sur les réseaux pour en savoir plus dans les prochaines semaines .)
A Corail Artefact installation is currently on display at the French pavilion of the Universal Exhibition in Dubai. Other projects are in the process of being formalized. Follow me on the networks to find out more in the coming weeks. )
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We thank Jérémy Gobé for his efforts and creativity in finding solutions to the pressing environmental threats we are facing. You can follow his footsteps from his social media links listed below.