Lancôme Revelations: Interview with a scholarship student
Hugo Rousset is one of 56 Revelations Lancôme scholarship holders on the Foundation’s art tutoring programme.
Having completed a general and technical baccalaureate in the arts stream, Rousset, a student at the Rive Gauche secondary school in Toulouse’s Mirail district, joined ENSAD (National School of Decorative Arts) in Paris,where he is currently a second-year specialising in set design.
At the Rive Gauche secondary school
I didn’t grow up on the Mirail estate, but in Gaillac in the Tarn. There were two competing secondary schools in Toulouse: the Arènes school, which prepares you for a higher vocational diploma in broadcasting, the visual arts and applied arts, and Rive Gauche secondary school, a comprehensive school offering vocational training in general and technical subjects. I went to their open days and preferred the Rive Gauche. Despite the fact that it’s close to the ring road, it seemed calmer, quieter, more suited to a working environment – and I later discovered that it had the best teachers. From Year 11, I had eight hours per week of Applied Arts, then sixteen hours in the Year 12 and finally twenty-four hours in the final year. The syllabus involved applied research, case studies, visual expression, history of art and conventional representation.
Foundation Scholarship
When I was in the final year, the teachers were given a Foundation grant, which they were free to use as they saw fit. They financed a series of nude classes then a workshop with two artists, paper designers, who taught us the folding techniques for pop-up 3D books. For many students, it was a technique which they still use and which they couldn’t have learned otherwise. I thought of entering two entrance competitions, for the La Cambre school (National School of Visual Arts) in Brussels and the Arts Déco School in Paris. Then I got into ENSAD. So in the end I didn’t apply for La Cambre. My mother is a cultural mediator and graphic designer and my father is technical director in a theatre. Having been immersed in a world of arts and culture, I knew what I was wanted to do on getting into Arts Déco: set design. Many others discover what they want as they progress through the course. The Foundation continued to support me. In 2010, I had a scholarship for my first year at ENSAD and I am expecting another for 2011. I manage it as I see fit. In my case I decided it would be for the purchase of books and materials.
Paris
I’m starting to get used to the place. It is a city that runs on work. If you don’t have status, you are quickly sidelined. But it’s an exciting city, full of opportunities. Anything is possible. I am sharing a flat with two friends studying in art schools, one in Olivier-de-Serresand and the other at Estienne. With another friend, Nina Barrois, I’m thinking of putting together an art collective for musicians and writers. For me, set design is still very theoretical at this stage. It’s very important to really know the basics in order to combine the analysis of a play with the building of the décor. How to bring out the subject. How to make the story tangible. So I am influenced by everything: visual artists, actors, writers. Right now, for example, I’m reading Céline’s Castle to Castle. Even there I can dig out material. The way he expresses his violence through words is fascinating. I might also mention Philip K. Dick – such a visionary writer – or designers like Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent and artists like Christian Boltanski.
The job of a set designer
At the moment, set design is essentially about theatre, film and events, but I think it’s destined to escape from those shackles. There are now interactive designers and architects in cities dealing with huge populations, so the profession of designer is bound to undergo major changes. In ENSAD after my Master’s (5 years), I want to deepen my knowledge at the ENSAD Lab, which will involve two years of research. I work more with the sciences (mathematics, physics) and I programme a lot too. I’m aware that what I learn today will feed into my work tomorrow. How will computers be used in 40 years? I need to learn all this now. It’s now that I’ve got the time to do that kind of research.
