Vanished Gestures, Living Traces: When the Past Meets the Present

The evening will be punctuated by interludes: musical breathings performed by Sogol Mirzaei, an Iranian musician, and readings performed by the Théâtre de la Ville troupe.

With:

• Eloïse Letellier-Taillefer, art historian and archaeologist of the Roman world at Sorbonne University, and Javiera Hiault Echeverria, visual artist.
• Sandra Aube, art historian of the Islamic worlds, researcher at the CNRS within the Research Center on the Iranian World, and Sipana Tchakerian, archaeologist specializing in the medieval South Caucasus and scientific coordinator at the National Institute of Art History.
• Benoît Caron, volcanologist at the Institute of Earth Sciences of Paris – Sorbonne University, and David Pleurdeau, prehistorian at the National Museum of Natural History.
  
  Supported by Pierre-Marie Chauvin, Vice President of Arts, Sciences, Culture and Society at Sorbonne University, and Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, Director of the Théâtre de la Ville. Supported by Pierre-Marie Chauvin, Vice President of Arts, Sciences, Culture and Society, and Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, Director of the Théâtre de la Ville.

On the program: three fragments, three experiences

#Fragment 1 - Pompeii Graffiti: how to retrace a public space?

With Eloïse Letellier-Taillefer, art historian and archaeologist of the Roman world at Sorbonne University, and Javiera Hiault Echeverria, visual artist.

What if the walls of Pompeii told the story of how the inhabitants of Antiquity could take over a public space? In a corridor connecting two theaters, hundreds of graffiti have survived nearly two thousand years. Names, messages of love, insults, drawings, and accumulated traces make audible voices often absent from official accounts and reveal the habits, movements, and imaginaries of Roman society. The Bruits de couloirs (Corridor Noises) project brings together archaeology, history, art history, ancient languages, and digital technologies. With artist Javiera Hiault Echeverria, research passes through experience and creation: come and experience the power of the sensory to listen to what these past gestures have to tell us.

#Fragment 2 - Heritage in danger, research hindered

With Sandra Aube, art historian of the Islamic worlds, researcher at the CNRS within the Research Center on the Iranian World, and Sipana Tchakerian, archaeologist specializing in the medieval South Caucasus and scientific coordinator at the National Institute of Art History.

In conflict zones, material heritage is threatened, but the research that allows us to understand it is as well. Wars, political violence, exile, and difficulties in accessing the field risk making entire sections of history disappear.
Created in 2025, the RePaZ (Research and Heritage in Crisis Zones) unit supports researchers working on endangered heritage, primarily in the Middle East and neighboring regions, from Sudan to Afghanistan. Preserving heritage also means preserving narratives, memories, and the diversity of views on the world. This project invites us to reflect on the means to document, transmit, and protect these fragile histories, while alerting policymakers to the urgency of supporting research.

#Fragment 3 - Transmitting heritage: the sensory experience

With Benoît Caron, volcanologist at the Institute of Earth Sciences of Paris – Sorbonne University, and David Pleurdeau, prehistorian at the National Museum of Natural History.

How can we bring thousands-of-years-old cave paintings back to life? The PAS (Heritage, Arts and Society) project invites you to discover Namibia's heritage differently, at the crossroads of archaeology and dance.
Born from the meeting between the Archaeological Mission in Namibia and the OYO dance company, this project explores the traces left by human societies in arid landscapes: cave paintings, rock shelters, and geological sites. Scientists study these remains to better understand ancient ways of life and how populations adapted to changes in their environment. But here, heritage is not just watched: it is felt. Through movement, gesture, and rhythm, dance gives new life to ancient images and makes their connection to the territories heard.
Come and discover how research and artistic creation can meet to tell our history differently and better understand the relationships between human beings and their environment.