1To Nico, who was my guiding light and who, through the prism of his camera, followed the twists and turns of this project...
CT

2From 2006 to 2014, Nicolas Thiébaut followed the work of the PCR, filming most of the experimental sessions. Hidden behind his camera, a small smile on his face, he brought an often amused but always kindly eye to our experiments and our uncertainties. A sociologist, he immersed himself with interest in this microcosm, at times not hesitating to take part in our lively discussions so as to push us helpfully or to bring back to reality a colleague who was beginning to pontificate overmuch. His outside eye helped us to stay grounded and this collaborative project owes him much more than we could have imagined.
VM

3To Sebastian, who passed away as we were writing this monograph.
SC

« (…) les arbres à croissance lente altèrent plus durablement leur environnement que les herbes folles. L’éclat de ces dernières ne dure en effet qu’un temps, celui d’une saison... »
O.-P. Gosselain
« Slow science – la désexcellence », 2011