Event Review - Night of Ideas
LOS ANGELES - The French Embassy has made experiencing a night in a museum possible in the most philosophical way. On January 31, the second annual Night of Ideas took place at the Natural History Museum. The theme of the year, “Being Alive” (Être Vivant), was selected by the embassy to encourage natural philosophical dialogue about the ever-evolving relationship with humankind and the world. Created and hosted by the Los Angeles Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the Night of Ideas events have successfully been held in over 120 prominent cultural and academic institutions within the United States worldwide (including Harvard University). On the official embassy website, the event has been marketed as a series of “intellectual marathons” with the goal of encouraging cross-cultural conversations through expression. Additionally, there was a list highlighting the featured world-renowned philosophers, musicians, photojournalists, and scientists creating a unique crossroads for leaders in the Arts and STEM careers. The website also provided information for the groups of volunteers that partook in the planning of the event and representatives from various Los Angeles-based organizations.
From the moment they stepped through the door of the Natural History Museum, attendees were greeted with bustling activity. On the first floor, the African exhibit underwent a dramatic transformation into a boozy nightclub enjoyed by five drunken, middle-aged women dancing to Whitney Houston. The North American exhibit across the hall served as a concert hall for the Jessica Fichot Quartet: a multilingual jazz band from Los Angeles. In the Dinosaur Hall, a 20-minute mini-lecture took place about Toxic Waste build-up along the California coastline. Taught by the museum’s in-house chemist Dr. Aaron Celstian, the lecture proposed various ways in which the issue could be addressed using entirely natural scientific methods. According to Dr. Celestian, one solution could be found in the chemical properties of Zeolites, a group of minerals found in soil and was once commonly used in cleaning products. As Celestian flipped through presentation slides, demonstrating the way in which generating the production of Zeolites could dispose of toxic waste in California by dissolving it, a girl in the third row wrote feverishly in a notebook. “I thought the talk very SiFi! It’s important to learn more about the environment and all the options we have to prevent more climate change from happening,” said Phoebe Bennett from Northridge. A recent graduate from the University of Southern California, she decided to attend after receiving member emails from the Natural History Museum. “I haven’t done anything like this before, but I like it so far. I’m going to see the bar near the African Exhibit next,” Bennett added before making a hasty departure.
Claude Bouchard, a representative for the French immersion courses offered by the French Consulate explained that the event, “is a good way to encourage people to communicate about important topics and connect the French community to the rest of the world.” She was stationed at the French language table in the Nature Lab to teach a group of five toddlers animal vocabulary in French with the help of flashcards. Across from her table was a 13-year-old tropical skink named Tallulah who was positioned on tree branches in front of an excited crowd. She gnawed away at string beans while her handler, Leslie Gordon, began a presentation about the birthing process of skinks and their ability to sever and regenerate their tails. After being invited by Gordon to interact with Tallulah, families formed a line to delicately pet the skink on her lower back. While most children declined, those interested could take pictures and partake in a brief question and answer session with the handler. “A couple of people have asked me how to say skink in french and I tell them I don’t know,” Gordon laughed as she offered Tallulah her last green been for the evening. “The French booth probably doesn’t have a card for skinks!” She passed out three reference photographs of skins to newly-arrived audience members before repeating her spiel.
The rest of the Nature Lab was open just as it would be for normal museum hours, allowing attendees the opportunity to explore. The room was large with live animals in enclosures intended for people of all age groups to enjoy. Valencia Smith, a Los Angeles native, studied each enclosure as she walked past. “It’s nice knowing that we can enjoy ourselves while talking seriously about the world,” said Smith as she searched for two hidden rattlesnakes in one of the reptile enclosures. “I haven’t been back here since my boys were little and I had no idea they did all this until now,” she said before pointing one out excitedly. “Maybe I’ll bring them back before my eldest graduates high school in May.”