Versions conference, EnsadLab, Paris, September 2016

On Wednesday, September 7th and 14th, between 10 am and 7 pm, Thierry Fournier, J. Emil Sennewald and the research group Displays – EnsadLab, EnsAD research Laboratory, Paris, invite you to take part in the discussions: “What do we expect of exhibitions?” as part of the international workshop-conference Versions which will be held at the Maison Populaire de Montreuil.

What becomes of the exhibition, especially in the context of post-digital cultures?Versions, which will take place over the course of two weeks (Sept 5th - 16th), is an international practice, debate and critique workshop-conference to experiment and discuss exhibition forms. It is organized by the Displays research group led by Thierry Fournier and J. Emil Sennewald at EnsadLab, research laboratory of the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris – which addresses the exhibition itself as a research situation.

Unlike a curatorial approach starting from a given project to organize works, Versions will take as its starting point suggestions made by stakeholders themselves, in order to reveal an experimentation of the exhibition’s “conditions of possibility”. Participants will work in groups of three for three days: two workshop days and one day of public debates. The process will be documented in real time and a publication will be edited after the event, in late 2016.

Fourteen guests will occupy a single space to conduct experiments in situ, and participate in public meetings and demonstrations: Martin John Callanan, artist, Eli Commins, artist, coordinator for digital policy at French Culture Ministry, Jean Cristofol, philosopher and teacher-researcher at Ecole Supérieure d’Art d’Aix en Provence, Milad Doueihi, historian and chairman for Digital humanities at University Paris-Sorbonne, Laura Gozlan, artist, Yuk Hui, philosopher, associated researcher at the Center for Digital Cultures, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Jan Kopp, artist, teacher (Esacm Clermont-Ferrand), Claire Malrieux, artist, teacher (Ensci, Beaux-arts Hauts-de France) and researcher at EnsadLab, Guilhem Pratz, director and producer, Gaïaland, Mathilde Roman, art critic, curator and teacher-researcher at Pavillon Bosio, Ecole supérieure d’Art de Monaco, Véronique Souben, curator and head of FRAC Haute-Normandie, Ann Stouvenel, curator and head for visual arts at Mains d’Å’uvres, Pau Waelder, art critic and curator, Marion Zilio, art critic, curator and head of Young International Artists art fair. This workshop will be held at Maison Populaire de Montreuil, in dialogue with the venue’s team and with Vladimir Demoule and Marie Koch, the 2016 season exhibition curators.We would be delighted if you would consider your participation in this workshop conference’s public meetings on Wednesdays, September 7th and 16th, between 10 am and 7pm. You are cordially invited to weigh in on what you expect of exhibitions today. Please note: your RSVP is required at displays@ensad.fr

More info about Displays and the participants: www.displays.ensadlab.fr
Maison Populaire de Montreuil, 9 bis rue Dombasle 93100 Montreuil, France: map
EnsadLab: www.ensadlab.fr

An event co-organized by the Displays research group, EnsadLab Research Laboratory, coordinated by Thierry Fournier (artist and curator, EnsadLab, Endsad Nancy) and J. Emil Sennewald (art critic and journalist, Esacm, EnsadLab) and the ICCA Labex. EnsadLab / Displays researchers: Gaspard Bébié-Valérian, Thomas Cheneseau, Dorian Reunkrilerk, associated researcher Pauline Gourlet (designer and postgraduate Université Paris 8) and Rahaf Demaskhi (artiste et doctorante University Rennes 2). Thanks to Annie Agopian, Floriane Benjamin, Marie Koch, Vladimir Demoule and the Maison Populaire de Montreuil team.