INterview by Jonathan Soriano
Name: Thomas Mondeme
Location: Paris, France
Occupation: Professeur agrégé chez Ministère de l'Éducation nationale et de la Jeunesse, DJ, editor at large and much more
What’s your background?
My background is in literary theory and history of ideas, but I have always dabbled in music, fashion and a lot of other fields, depending on the mood of the moment. My main occupation is to give lectures as a professor, but I also write or consult for different agencies and institutions. I help them unfold what’s behind trends or concepts, and I try to clarify the way they think about certain phenomena.
When my French arrogance takes over, I call this « cultural forecasting and intellectual engineering ».
What’s your creative process like?
Since I mostly need to create ideas or ways to use ideas, the best technique is to immerse myself in them. So my process definitely requires research, reading, experimenting with different ways of thinking, and looking at data.
The way I see creativity is very simple: it’s almost always a repurposing or restructuring of things that already exist, but in a way that reveals something new about the world or the way we are as humans. It alternatively involves divergent thinking and convergent thinking. I try to cultivate these different steps by engaging with as many different perspectives as I can.
Where do you go to get ideas?
Mostly to bookshops: just looking at book titles, reading the back covers, or switching from one section to another is often enough to stimulate some kind of thinking. But museums or galleries are also great in that regard: artworks are incarnated cognitive processes, world views transformed into aesthetic experiences… Just by exposing yourself to them, you can deeply transform the way you see the world… sometimes without even noticing it.
Who are your heroes?
Ah…This may seem like a cheesy answer, and yet it’s nothing but the truth. I have never been really « starstruck » nor even really interested in prominent public figures.
Therefore, I could really say that my friends are my real heroes. I admire them a lot, each for very different reasons. They have always been very influential for me… And they are the ones that I am always excited to see.
If you could time travel, where would you go and why?
Strasbourg, 1518. It’s when one of the biggest « dancing plagues » happened.
People started dancing in the streets for no apparent reason, some of them until exhaustion or death… and it lasted for weeks! I want to know what’s behind this very particular type of rave party.
Any exciting projects coming up?
Lately I have been curating music for fashion shows on a more regular basis. I love to see how sounds can shape an entire atmosphere and help showcase the work of designers. I have also started working in the art world, developing or translating exhibition concepts and I am really enjoying it.
What do you do for Recreation?
When I am in Copenhagen, it’s definitely taking a dip in the harbor.
You can’t do that in Paris (even post Olympics) unless you want to experiment with liquid chemical pollution.
So here I would mostly go run along the Seine. Running is very close to some kind of meditative experience for me, and when you can see historical buildings and great views along the way, it’s even better. That’s the healthy answer though. A more honest one would probably involve drinking Negronis in Florence… or anywhere else.
Who would you bring on an epic camping trip?
As much as I like being outdoors, I am not a huge fan of camping, I must admit. Something about sleeping in a tent maybe…? I would almost rather build a cabin at every stage. Then I would bring my friend Svend from Spacon & X. His architectural knowledge and his conversational maestria would maximize physical and intellectual comfort.
Best meal?
The Blanquette or the Bouchée à la Reine from Cuisine, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. My friend Teki introduced me to this place, and I thank him for that.
Best company?
A mix of Frenchies, Danes and Koreans; that’s the company I kept these last years, and it has always made me very happy.
Thank you Thomas.
Want more of the professor? Then check his instagram here.