Ninth edition of the Institut français Ateliers (AIF) in Versailles (18th-19th July 2019): “Being together, in the city, in the world”
Updated on 05/02/2020
A time of exchange, sharing, discovery and creation dedicated to the staff of the French network for cultural cooperation and action and its partners.
The AIF are days of meetings and exchanges organised by the Institut français for the French Cultural Network (French Cultural Cooperation and Action Services of embassies from all over the world, Instituts françaises and Alliances françaises).
They allow almost 500 staff members from the cultural network to:
- meet and exchange with over 90 French institutional and professional partners (from the cultural, artistic, academic and educational fields, among others) as well as with the staff of the Instituts françaises and the administrative bodies (Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture);
- take part in workshops and thematic and geographical round tables dealing with current events related to issues of cooperation and sphereof-influence diplomacy;
- discuss between peers and prepare future programming;
- gather inspiring ideas by experimenting through exhibitions and innovative approaches.
Inspiration, creation, sharing: key words for the 2019 edition
After a 2018 edition devoted to the Presidential Plan "Ambitions for the French Language and Multilingualism", this year, the Institut français is investing in the theme of architecture in general and our relationship with the city and the world in particular, guided by the principles behind Agnès Varda's work: Inspiration, creation, sharing.
With the idea of continuing to bring cultures and multilingualism to life in complex spaces shaped by globalisation, the Institut français plans to conduct a collective reflection with architects, landscape architects, urban planners, researchers in human and social sciences, communities, associations and companies, on the evolution of our traffic, lifestyles and ways of being in the world.
“Being together, in the city, in the world”
It is no small task for the network's establishments to remain open spaces, dedicated to circulation and sharing, stimulating creativity while questioning pushes to standardise and consolidate certain cultural, discursive and urban planning practices. Our understanding of the spatial and societal dynamics that result from these practices, and thus our ability to express informed and empathetic discourse about our immediate environments, are becoming essential elements to support our audiences, promote our creators and make sure our diversity is valued.