CULTURAL PATRONAGE “IT’S A HANGING SCULPTURE CONTAINING NUMEROUS HIDDEN SYMBOLS. A Lacanian knot linking the real to the imaginary and Greek letters used in the financial world but which, in this sculpture, are only visible from a certain angle.” Jean-Michel Othoniel, Sculptor U THE GREEK KNOT 50 I SOCIETE GENERALE 2014-2015 sing music as a way to educate and integrate young people is the dream that inspired Societe Generale to become a founding partner of the Demos orchestra, which brings together 1,000 children from deprived urban areas. In the same spirit, since 2015 the Group has supported the Divertimento symphony orchestra, created and conducted by Zahia Ziouani, who balances an international career as an eminent conductor with the role of an engaged citizen, active in local communities. She does this by reaching out to audiences not typically familiar with the world of classical music, providing the opportunity to discover, appreciate and play the music. In the other main field of its cultural patronage policy, Societe Generale also allows young people to experience contemporary art through organised visits to the Societe Generale Collection. Every year, nearly 3,000 children discover the collection through discovery trails organised for them at the bank’s head office in La Défense. The Group’s arts and cultural patronage activities are long term and ongoing. A commitment that, in 2014, was rewarded with the Jacques Rigaud Oscar for the Corporate Sponsorship of Culture by Admical, the French Association for the Development of Industrial and Commercial Patronage. AND THE TRADING ROOM Societe Generale called upon one of France’s most well-known and internationally active artists to create Le Noeud Grec (The Greek Knot). The installation adorns the entry to the new Basalte building in La Défense, where the Group’s trading rooms have been located since 2014. Outside visitors are also welcome to discover the artwork, just like all the other works from the Societe Generale Collection displayed around the Group’s head office in La Défense and their buildings at Val de Fontenay. A patron of contemporary art and classical music for over two decades, Societe Generale is reinforcing its efforts to reach out to new audiences, particularly the young. Watch the Birth of an Installation video www.societegenerale.com/le-noeud-grec www.mecenatmusical.societegenerale.com www.collectionsocietegenerale.com
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