April 2026
Research
Seminar
The Rise of Complex Multicellularity: Uncovering Fundamental Principles Through In-Depth Lineage Comparisons
The transition from unicellular organisms to complex multicellularity is a key step in the evolution of life, but its mechanisms remain poorly understood. Research has largely focused on individual lineages, while the constraints, evolutionary drivers, and genomic tools can vary for each lineage. It is therefore necessary to identify a comprehensive framework to explain the common molecular principles and mechanisms of the transition to complex multicellularity in eukaryotes. This symposium, organized by Susana Coelho and Dolf Weigers, will bring together a group of leading researchers to identify universal principles for the emergence of complex development.
Research workshop
Describing the Works: Rethinking the Label
A central element of museum interpretation, the label—that small text affixed near exhibited objects—is the subject of much debate (length, placement, content, author, intended audience, etc.). Since the late 18th century, the function and form of labels have evolved alongside the museum’s mission. Often considered the “voice” of the artworks, their authority is regularly questioned. A growing number of initiatives promote a pluralistic approach, including co-written texts intended for different audiences, translated texts, or texts exploring various presentation methods and modes of reading. While well-covered in museology textbooks, the topic remains relatively unexplored by the humanities. The workshop organized by Yaël Kreplak will finalize the first original synthesis in French on the subject, illustrated and designed by researchers, professionals, and artists.
Research residencies
Anthropogenic Disruption: The Impossible Biotechnological Control of Life
The living world has been profoundly and irrevocably transformed by the deployment of biotechnologies in various fields (industrial agriculture, biomedicine, genome editing, stem cell research, reproduction, etc.). Drawing on the concept of “anthropic biology” developed by Hannah Landecker, Céline Lafontaine‘s project aims to analyze these transformations within the context of the Anthropocene. Anthropogenic biology concerns the unpredictable effects of the large-scale production and proliferation of biological matter in academic and industrial laboratories. Based on interviews with researchers, this book examines the long-term consequences of scientific practices in the history of life on Earth.
How can we think about emptiness ?
Unlike non-being, nothingness, and void, the existence of emptiness was indeed demonstrated in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal, marking the birth of physical science. But what is the link between physical emptiness and metaphysical emptiness, a source of both fear and attraction? Adèle Van Reeth‘s residency will attempt to answer this philosophical question. From Blaise Pascal to Virginia Woolf, from everyday life to monastic life, from Henry David Thoreau to Cyrano de Bergerac, the ambivalence of emptiness leads philosophy to recognize its own limitations and to pass the baton to what only experience can explore, beyond the concept.
Creation
Author’s residencies
Ella Balaert
is currently in residence at the Domaine des Treilles to work on his new novel, whose main character is a ventriloquist puppeteer. This novel follows his previous books on the themes of masks, reality in its relationship to fiction, and madness. [en savoir plus]
Adèle Yon
She returns this month to work on her second novel. In My Real Name Is Elisabeth (Éditions du Sous-sol, 2025), she recounts her investigation into the psychiatric journey of her great-grandmother, Elisabeth, diagnosed as schizophrenic in the 1950s, lobotomized and interned for 17 years. [en savoir plus]
Exhibition
Les Treilles: The Origins of the Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions
Inaugurated at the Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions in Draguignan last February, the exhibition will be on display until April 25th. Visitors can admire traditional regional objects as well as photographs by Jacqueline Hyde depicting agricultural life at the Les Treilles estate.