Exhibition focuses on Perec's creative process

A thematic exhibition at the BNF François Mitterrand site is exploring the creative process of author Georges Perec, with an emphasis on his work rather than a traditional look back at his career. The exhibition is titled Georges Perec modes d'emploi with Claire Lesage and is curated by Jean-Luc Joly.

Exhibition organized around the alphabet's vowels

The exhibition is structured around six spaces, each corresponding to a vowel of the alphabet. This unique layout reflects the intellectual and linguistic interests that defined Perec’s writing and thought.

Room A highlights early works and unproduced projects

Room A features Perec’s early works, including documents related to a revolutionary cultural magazine that was never published and his novel Things, which earned him the Renaudot prize in 1965. This room provides insight into the formative years of his career and the experimental ideas that influenced his later work.

Space E is an empty room with a projected image

Space E, referencing the book La Disparition, is designed to be completely empty except for the projection of the author's face. This minimalist approach reflects the novel’s theme of absence and the challenge of writing without using the letter "e."

Exhibition highlights Perec's connection to Oulipo

Another room is dedicated to Perec’s encounter with the Oulipo, a group of writers and mathematicians who explore the potential of formal constraints in literature. Perec considered this meeting a turning point in his career, stating it had a profound impact on his development as a writer.

Exhibition showcases Perec's use of formal constraints

The exhibition includes various games related to formal constraints, such as palindromes and metagrams. These elements reflect Perec’s fascination with linguistic puzzles and the structured creativity of the Oulipo group.

Focus on Life: A User's Manual and its complexity

A significant portion of the exhibition is devoted to Life: A User's Manual, revealing the specifications Perec set for himself, his notes and diagrams, and the mathematical models used to create the novel. Jean-Luc Joly notes that the novel is ahead of its time and anticipates questions raised today by AI.

Exhibition explores Perec's interest in the infra-ordinary

The exhibition also highlights Perec's attention to the infra-ordinary, as seen in Je me souviens, and his desire to preserve traces of personal history as the common history of a generation. It includes documents related to his unfinished project to build a literary work around his family tree, influenced by the disappearance of his parents during World War II.

Exhibition includes multimedia and artistic tributes

The exhibition includes drawings by Perec, a video from Apostrophes showing Bernard Pivot's reaction to Life: A User's Manual, and works by various artists influenced by Perec, including a portrait by Enki Bilal. These elements provide a broader cultural context for Perec’s influence.

Exhibition runs through early 2027 with a published catalog

The exhibition is open until February 14, 2027, and a catalog titled Georges Perec modes d'emploi is available from BNF editions. The catalog contains 400 pages and costs 42 euros, offering a detailed overview of the exhibition and Perec’s work.