iMagination Week: A week of reflection to invent the future

From the 2^nd to 6^th January, ESSEC Business School organised a week-long seminar dedicated to imagination and creativity for the students of the MSc in Management program. This sixth annual iMagination Week enabled more than 700 of them to think about the future through a series of conferences and team projects.

A clamor rose up among the crowd gathered in the Dome building at ESSEC Business School. More than 700 students clapped in unison. On the big screen, six of them projected the result of their work during iMagination Week 2017: a zany, four-minute rap video to the music of the American performer Eminem. There was no hesitation in dressing up and giving their all for the video, something that caused a general outburst of hilarity among their fellow students in the fun atmosphere that filled the Dome.

At the heart of the video, the subject the students had to reflect on during the five days: “Political City, the Politics of the City: My role in the city of 2050.” Rapping in English,  they took turns in explaining that each citizen must give a week of their time each year to the good of their town (soup kitchens, cleaning of public spaces, etc.). This project enabled them to take their place as one of the three winning teams out of of a total 110 groups. An idea matured during this week dedicated to imagination and creativity. Eight conferences held by leading figures motivated the students to share, think and open themselves up to the future.

Unleashing creativity

‘We had great fun,’ smiled Emma Bernardaud, leaving the stage. ‘It was really nice to do something different and everyone had something to contribute. I’d love to have more creative lessons like that.’ During the whole week, they worked for nearly 20 hours on their project on one essential condition: avoid the usual PowerPoint presentation. All of the student teams presented their work through artistic, literary, and multimedia mediums and even plays and sketches were produced. ‘It was enjoyable, different,’ summed up Maria Valershteyn. ‘We had a lot of fun with our video – we were in our own private world and we thought that the others wouldn’t catch on to it…and in the end, it worked!’

The content counted as much as the form to gain the attention of the jury. Certain students invented companies of the future presented in the shape of promotional videos, such as “Mapple”, which replaces your bus, train or credit card by implanting a micro-chip in your thumb. Others opted for a different approach by presenting their project for a prison of the future (called “enclosure”) in the guise of testimonies from prisoners. A group was even rewarded for its complete modeling, in 3D, of the town of the future baptized ‘New Babylon’.

‘Imagination is in power, in you and at ESSEC’

ESSEC wants to stimulate its students’ imaginations to prove to them that tomorrow’s society will be built through their reflection, and especially through teamwork. ‘In our group, nobody knew each other before this week,’ explained Mathilde Wolf. It was brilliant to be able to work with other people, especially international students.’ Each teamwas able to use the large quantity of equipment at the school and notably the various video studios or the computers in the K-Lab to model their project. ‘When we force them not to use the usual presentation slide deck, they’re really happy,’ confirms Xavier Pavie, Director of the iMagination Center.

If the students showed themselves as being particularly enthusiastic at the end of this intense and rewarding week, their professors and tutors were equally as satisfied. ‘The students really put everything they had into this week,’ said a delighted Prof. Xavier Pavie. ‘The quality of the projects was there on the day and they showed just to what a great extent they could be creative.’ A remark supported by Jean-Michel Blanquer. The Dean and President of ESSEC awarded the prizes to the winners and congratulated all of the participants with enthusiasm: ‘You have been the most diligent and hard-working students since the creation of iMagination Week. Congratulations for your great work. Imagination is in power, in you and at ESSEC.’ The sights now turn on the future holding of the event, with the ambition to further develop the concept. ‘We’ll continue to imagine our imagination weeks,’ explained Prof Xavier Pavie. ‘Why not around the theme of sustainable development by including more interactivity and digitalization?’

A week of conferences and debates to feed the imagination

Throughout the week, the students nourished themselves on a host of conferences held by eight experts in their field: Dr. Jean Louis Etienne, French doctor and explorer, Rob Spence, Canadian moviemaker and transhuman, Prof. Heinz Wismann, philologist and philosopher, Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, cellar master at the Champagne winery Louis Roederer, Prof. Jean Jouzel, climatologist and  glaciologist (Nobel Peace Prize 2007 with the GIEC), Dr. Françoise Wilhelmi de Toledo, doctor-nutritionist and co-director of the Buchinger therapeutic fasting clinics (Germany and Spain), Michael Lonsdale, French actor and winner of the 2011 César for best supporting role 2011 for Of Gods and Men, and C215, urban artist. ‘It’s important to show them excellence,’ insisted Prof. Xavier Pavie. ‘They can’t simply be witnesses of our era; they have to be the people who create it. Through these conferences, transdisciplinarity enables them to project themselves into the future.’