ESMA's approach
A community of knowledge and exchange
Our relationship with the educational community throughout France, and particularly in the towns and cities where our campuses are located, enables ESMA’s teams to strengthen their local roots.
Our teams propose innovative projects in collaboration with academic and professional partners.
This approach is part of a dynamic policy of all the Ecoles Créatives, aimed at encouraging interdisciplinarity and enriching teaching and research practices.
Tangible examples of co-participation within schools
Creative synergies to open up new perspectives
To date, these academic partnerships take a variety of forms and involve a large number of players.
One example is the creation of sound environments for animated films, in collaboration with the teams and students of the MAAAV (Music Applied to the Visual Arts) Masters course at the Université Lumière Lyon 2 and the Conservatoire.
More recently, a partnership between students in the Musicology and Visual Arts degree course at the University of Perpignan Via Domitia, those at the ‘Montserrat Caballé’ Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional and those in the 3D section at ESMA has taken shape, enabling this dynamic to spread to other campuses.
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Giving meaning to artistic practice
At the same time, other areas of research have been explored, in particular the links between art, science and the living world.
For example, the Écoles Créatives have set up an introductory research course on the representation of animal mutations, in collaboration with Oniris VetAgroBio, a higher education and research establishment run by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.
These initiatives are in line with those carried out with the Natural History Museum in Nantes, exploring insects as a source of inspiration for a 3D animation.
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Research to drive our industries forward
In addition, ESMA and all the Écoles Créatives, through their Director of Research Sandra Mellot, took part in the CNC Lab, a think-tank set up by the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée to support all the image industries (cinema, audiovisual and video games).
In close collaboration with Marie-Julie Catoir-Brisson (associate professor at Audencia), they have developed a research project on ecological imaginations in animated films, with a view to producing publications and other international conferences.
A strategic role in the development of CCI
With a view to revitalising links with academic and professional players, and strengthening its role as a leader in adapting curricula to technological innovations, ESMA has embarked on a reflection on developments within the Cultural & Creative Industries (CCI).
In-depth work on AI in the CCI sector was carried out as part of the 1st edition of the Creative Schools Lab, leading to exchanges and collaborative projects with major players such as the CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique), INRIA (Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique), the University of Sherbrooke, Audencia, HEAD (Haute École d’Art et de Design) and EHESS (École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales).
This approach has been strengthened by the participation of the Écoles Créatives in various consortia as part of the France 2030 investment plan for the development of new technologies and support for the ecological transition, notably by joining the “Pôles territoriaux d’industries culturelles et créatives” scheme and the “Nouveaux auteurs, Nouveaux récits” collective in collaboration with the NEF Animation association.
These ongoing efforts, underpinned by an ambitious vision, are bearing fruit and reinforcing the significant impact that ESMA hopes to have on the development of professional and academic practices.