I have dreams...

Like many around the world, I cannot erase the images of Notre Dame de Paris burning. Yet behind the devastation of this Gothic wonder, I have great hopes that the reconstruction could be a statement of modern technologies in the service of a greater purpose.

Cathedrals were the moon landing of their time:

The 12th-Century Gothic masterpieces still gracing Europe had a lot in common with the race to the Moon of the mid-20th Century. In America alone, it is estimated that landing on the moon in 1969 took the combined imagination, technical mastery, dedication and hard work of about ? million people… Neil Armstrong himself said that he was but the tip of a giant spear.

Gothic emerged through daring exploration of physics. And the work of hundreds of thousands of masters, companions, skilled workers and everyday labourers over generations – Notre Dame de Paris took over 100 years to complete - to create something bigger than themselves. Gothic was powered by a deep collective drive to make a statement of civilization. Just like going to the Moon.  There were famines and privations. There were huge challenges in everyday life. But the human mind exists through its ability to imagine and make better happen.

I remember my first visit to the Sainte Chapelle in Paris… It was like walking into a giant jewellery case (ref. picture illustrating this article). Light and color exploded from the stained-glass panels, that in Gothic mostly take the place of interior walls. We must remember that all this was created by free people, not slaves. People who wanted to capture and communicate a little bit of the glory of God and of collaborating as one. For everyday folks walking into Gothic cathedrals back in an age of no recorded pictures – it must have been the equivalent of augmented reality and space travel and special effects and faith in greater delivered in one powerful punch. An object of pride and inspiration. Just like when we heard the wonderful words announcing the first Moon landing: “We came in peace for all Mankind.” Something that unites and builds meaning.

From tragedy – an opportunity:

So paraphrasing King in 1963, I have dreams. I dream that Notre Dame de Paris is restored to full glory, in less than a generation, through the passion, dedication and expertise of people from around the world, united to recreate the masterpieces of generations past, and empowered by modern technology.

I’m no scientist, but for what it’s worth: can we for example grind tons of ocean plastic into powder and then use that powder to 3D print the spire, carvings, and roof, even giving them their original tint? Not to mention superior durability and fire-resistance. Something tells me that people of the 12th Century would have used such tools and resources had they been available. They used stone and wood because that is what they had in abundance. In one swift move, it would save time and trees (currently, Normandy has volunteered thousands of oaks for the reconstruction, but the oaks did not get a vote…) and ensure as good a durability as possible.

And I dream that this could be extended to other wonders of our past, damaged or destroyed by intolerance and brutality. The multi-millennial treasures of Iraq and Syria come to mind, as do the giant Buddhas of Afghanistan… The list is long enough to keep teams busy for decades. And wouldn’t that be a worthy collective push for a change? Cleaning up some of our unfortunate effects on the World while feeding our collective souls with beauty. Humans need meaning and inspiration beyond the void of instantaneous and short-lived glories. This is not about reliving the past, but rather restoring our shared heritage. Just as neglected castles and cathedrals were brought back to their original evocative power starting in the 19th Century. The same can be argued for Angkor Wat, the temples of Egypt, the pyramids of Central America, etc. Beauty is not a nice to have. Restoring and enhancing it is essential to who we are and to our place in time. It gives meaning and inspiration to our life. As expressed by Saint-Exupery (of "Little Prince" fame): " If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

Big dreams yes, but as they say: “How will your dreams come true if you don’t have a dream?”. I’m hopeful. For us and for generations to come.