Jean-Claude Risset’s Paradoxical Practice of Interdisciplinarity: Making Inseparable Both Activities of Scientist and Musician, While Resolutely Distinguishing the Two Fields

In 2017, Jean-Claude Risset gave his archives to the PRISM laboratory. Thereby the researchers’ community will have soon at their disposal a fund, especially interdisciplinary art and science oriented. For the moment, the archives are divided into two main parts: one within scientific research and one within artistic creation activity. More specifically, Jean-Claude Risset’s own story shaped major interdisciplinary orientations: first of all, his pioneering research at Bell Labs, then back to “French reality” (his half-failure with Ircam and his difficulties concerning Marseille-Luminy), afterwards his quest for solutions as a political lever, especially through the Art-Science-Technology’s report in 1998, and finally his turning point with his CNRS 1998 Gold Medal, consequently increasing conferences and mostly concerts. In addition, the study of material aspects (sharing activities between the laboratory and his home, place and content of documentation, etc.) is also necessary to understand “Risset’s practice” of interdisciplinarity.