In France today, almost 55,000 people are living with a functional graft. "This is a matter of urgency," says Didier Janot, President of the Prisme corporate sponsorship club in Reims. In 2023, 5,634 transplants were carried out in France, including 194 at the Reims University Hospital - 124 corneal transplants and 70 kidney transplants. While the figures for 2023 reported by the Agence de la biomédecine show a steady increase in transplants since 2020, there is still reluctance to donate organs from patients who have died of brain death. Against this backdrop, the new Reims University Hospital, which has been carrying out transplants for over 30 years, embarked on an artistic project with the help of Prisme to support and finance the project. After a competition involving international artists, Sascha Nordmeyer's monumental work was chosen last April to be installed in front of the new Reims University Hospital. Three 5-metre-high sail-totems will symbolize donors, transplant recipients and healthcare staff. The project aims to honor the memory of donors, raise awareness of the act of donation and provide a space for families to reflect. Artists and corporate sponsors play a crucial "mediating" role in raising awareness of a cause that can save many lives, and in freeing speech on a subject as sensitive as it is complex. Interview with Didier Janot, President of Prisme, and Sascha Nordmeyer, the artist selected to create this monumental, immersive project.
"The three veil-totems pay tribute to donors, transplant recipients and healthcare staff. Rare are the projects where the artistic gesture has such an impact on the people to whom the work is dedicated."
Sascha Nordmeyer, artist behind the "Espace-Temps" project for the Reims University Hospital.
1. Genesis of a tribute to organ and tissue donation
Didier Janot: The teams at Reims University Hospital wanted to pay tribute to organ and tissue donors. Solicited by the CHU Action Fund, we brought together Prisme's business leaders and decided to support the project. The national decree of October 29, 2015, concerning the approval of rules of good practice in organ harvesting, invites establishments to create a memorial site to pay tribute to donors close to hospitals and CHUs. Beyond the legal aspect, a place of remembrance and recognition seemed to us very important to raise awareness of the cause. After several meetings, the selection committee chose Franco-German artist Sascha Nordmeyer. With the opening of the new hospital, this project embodies the values of the CHU and meets three objectives: to honor the memory of those who helped save lives, to symbolize and popularize this generous gesture, and to offer families a place to reflect and give thanks.
Sascha Nordmeyer: I knew the Prisme association, which had already financed a number of works in Reims, where I live, including the famous Luchrone. When Didier Janot told me about this call for projects, the idea of paying homage and creating a place of remembrance for families immediately appealed to me. At first, I was a little intimidated by this complex subject. I did a lot of research and felt the need to form a small team to exchange ideas and put into words what I could imagine. I already knew that light, the symbol of life in connection with organ donation, would be my gateway. It took me six months to develop and finalize this work, which I wanted to be lively and sensitive. Things needed to mature, especially on such a powerful theme.
" In 2022, 5,494 organs were transplanted in France. Despite these successes, the rate of opposition to organ removal remains at 36% in 2023, a rising figure, while almost 22,000 patients are waiting for a transplant."
2. "Space-time": an ode to light and a symbol of life
Sascha Nordmeyer: A designer before becoming a visual artist, my artistic practice is characterized by a contemplative, abstract and immersive dimension. I like the uncluttered dimension, going for the essence of things, giving space to the spectator and his imagination. I therefore designed this monumental installation as a contemplative stroll, an initiatory voyage and an immersive meditation. The three monochrome totem sails, made of stainless steel sheeting - a noble material highly prized by the medical profession - subtly reflect the hues of the surrounding environment and people in the vicinity. The pictorial composition on the surface of the veils, created using a "micro-reflector" technique, symbolizes the passage from the inert to the living. Each veil interacts with light to create a play of reflections, shadows and transparency, accentuating the kinetic effect and perpetual movement. The work is also intended to raise awareness of organ donation, with information accessible via QR code.
Didier Janot: What immediately attracted us to Sasha's work was the symbolism of the three elements and the presentation of a "sensitive" work to honor the gesture of giving. The question of abstraction is also important, with the proposal of a work capable of speaking to the widest possible audience. The treatment of light, making the work come alive and change according to the time of day or night, also brings a symbolic and spiritual dimension to the project. The monumental aesthetic of the work and its lasting integration into the environment were also decisive factors in our choice. Hospital staff and family representatives were extremely moved by the presentation, some almost to tears. The work already seems to act as a catharsis.
"As business leaders, we're also ambassadors.
Didier Janot, President of the Prisme association of corporate sponsors.
3. A sensitive, supportive project made possible by corporate sponsors
4. The story of an entrepreneur-sponsor
Didier Janot: I didn't grow up in an environment or family that introduced me to art, I simply had a sensibility that invited me to this encounter. I must have been barely 18 the first time I pushed open the door of a museum. My job as an advertising executive also gave me the chance to rub shoulders with artists. Art became a passion as I met people, sometimes mentors. I don't consider myself a "collector" in the true sense of the word. What interests me is the relationship with the work, the world, the artist's vision and the role of art in our lives. Robert Filliou's quote - "Art is what makes life more interesting than art." - defines exactly how I feel. As a patron of the arts, I realize that I'm more of a patron than a collector: I like to share art and make it accessible to everyone. Although I wasn't destined to "meet" art, I in turn initiate all those who are willing to share this passion.
5. The link between art, creation and business
Didier Janot: Creation is the common thread running through my career, and I believe that there is also art in the notion of entrepreneurship. As entrepreneurs, we create wealth and projects, we bring people together, which is a gesture quite similar to that of creation. It's a desire for life, linked to sensitivity and curiosity. I enjoy working as President of a string orchestra just as much as designing an artistic or innovative project. I make no distinction between these creative acts. The question of fulfillment with others is also central: company directors are also "passers-on". Being alive means passing on and sharing.
Sascha Nordmeyer: Entrepreneurial patrons build bridges with art to make these causes visible. The Prisme association has given birth to an exciting humanistic and artistic adventure. As far as I'm concerned, the artist-entrepreneur encounter is stimulating for both parties: one feeds the other. As an artist, corporate support helps me to give a new dimension to my work and to realize an ambitious project. As for my experience as a designer, it gives me easy access to the business world.
To find out more and help finance the project
- Individual contact: Fonds d'Action du CHU de Reims
- Contact Corporate Sponsors: +33(0)3.26.89.58.89 or by e-mail delphine.fournier@medef-marne.fr
Sascha Nordmeyer, 46, is a Franco-German contemporary artist based in Reims. Initially a designer, he made a name for himself with the Communication Prosthesis project, which was exhibited at New York's MoMA in 2011. Since 2016, he has been combining the technology of design with the gesture of the hand to create airy, transparent installations in paper and metal that invite viewers to immerse themselves and develop an intimate relationship with the work. Fascinated by light, he installs movement, rhythm and vibration in his Espaces-temps. Sascha Nordmeyer exhibits regularly throughout Europe and in Japan. In France, he is represented by Galerie Slotine in Paris. In addition to metal and colored Plexiglas, Sascha Nordmeyer's resolutely musical works are mainly on sober, generally white paper, which he decompartmentalizes as a medium.
Head of the Horizon Bleu communications agency, Didier Janot is also the dynamic chairman of the PRISME corporate philanthropy club, created in Reims as an association in 1989. He is also a correspondent and director of Admical, a non-profit organization that has been promoting corporate philanthropy since 1979. Founder of the companies 15-1 Diffusion and ALOHA Nova, Didier Janot won two awards at the Trophées de la communication 2023.
Key figures for corporate philanthropy in France
- In France, corporate philanthropy continues to play a crucial role. Currently, more than 100,000 French companies are involved in philanthropic initiatives, contributing some 3.6 billion euros. Of these, 37% direct their support towards culture and heritage.
- Some 76% of corporate sponsors concentrate their efforts in their immediate environment, favoring local and regional initiatives.
- When it comes to budget forecasts, 74% of corporate sponsors plan to maintain their budgets despite the economic challenges. This resilience is particularly important as the Ministry of Culture continues to adapt its strategies to maximize the impact of public and private funding in the arts sector.
- Corporate philanthropy in France is largely dominated by VSEs (Very Small Enterprises) and SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). Some 96% of corporate sponsors are VSEs and SMEs, although they account for only 26% of donations in terms of value. In fact, many small businesses are involved in philanthropic initiatives, even if their individual financial contribution is often more modest than that of large companies.
- Intermediate-sized companies (ETIs) and large corporations represent a smaller proportion of corporate sponsors in terms of numbers, but their financial contribution is more significant. For example, in 2020, ETIs represented around 3.3% of corporate sponsors, but their declared donations accounted for 26.7% of total sponsorship.
- The ETIs most involved in corporate philanthropy are those with sales between €100 and €500 million.
- The proportion of corporate sponsors in the cultural sector will rise to 37% by 2021. The dissemination of works of art and the preservation of heritage are the most popular activities for cultural patrons.
Source Admical 2022. BAROMÈTRE DU MÉCÉNAT D'ENTREPRISE 2022. Published every 2 years, the corporate philanthropy barometer is the benchmark study of the main trends in the sector in France.
