As part of the program “A Year in the Life of an Art Center”, first-year Master’s students in Mediation, Exhibition, Critique from Université Paris 8 were hosted throughout the academic year at Bétonsalon – Center for Art and Research. Guided by their instructors Clélia Barbut and Nathalie Desmet, and supported by the center’s team, the students conducted an experimental investigation based on participatory observation of the center’s various activities: technical production, administration, audiences, programming, mediation, publishing, and curating.

This immersion led to the development of a collective project titled “Salonbéton”—a fictional and reflexive reinterpretation of the art center, shaped by the observations and questions raised throughout the year.

On Wednesday, May 28, Bétonsalon will host a public presentation of this experience through a variety of formats:

• A sound installation in public space, based on interviews with individuals who never or seldom visit Bétonsalon;
• A series of AI-generated images expressing collective imaginaries surrounding the center;
• A collective publication and collectible image cards, highlighting gestures and everyday fragments rarely visible within an art center.

The presentation will include a roundtable discussion from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, titled:

“Anti-Ableist Struggles and Working Methodologies in Art Centers”, with the participation of:

– Benoît Piéron, visual artist

– Lucas Fritz, PhD in Communication Studies, artist-researcher, and neurodiversity activist, affiliated with EHESS and Paris Nanterre University

– Coline Ardouin, coordinator of the Art and Disability program at the association Souffleurs de Sens.

This conversation will reflect on accessibility as a political issue at the intersection of artistic practices, academic research, and cultural policy.

Hedwig Houben’s exhibition “The Untamable Hand” will also be open to visitors during the event.