This catalogue documents a collective exhibition program inspired by the writings of Charles Fourier. “L’Écart absolu” is a dialogue between architecture, artistic heritage and contemporary works, in which artists come together, interact and experiment on the edge of design, visual arts, decorative arts and applied arts.

With Karina Bisch, Nicolas Chardon, Marianne Maric, Dominique Mathieu, Syndicat, We Are The Painters, Atelier Van Lieshout, Aline Bouvy & John Gillis, Stanley Brouwn, Stéphane Calais, Jacques Charlier, Meschac Gaba, Marie Goussé, Teresa Margolles, Superflex, Barthélémy Toguo, Danh Vo, Maarten Van Severen

Co-Creation is a multifaceted publication that is part of a research initiative into co-creation and socially engaged art practices. Begun in 2013, this long-term initiative has been the work of Céline Poulin (the director of CAC Brétigny) and Marie Preston (artist and teacher-researcher at Université Paris 8), along with Stéphanie Airaud (the director of public outreach and cultural initiatives at MAC VAL). The publication took shape in part around a three-day symposium at MAC VAL and CAC Brétigny, a master’s seminar in Contemporary Art Media Design of Université Paris 8 at Villa Vassilieff, and finally an exhibition at CAC Brétigny.
A new theoretical advance and not simply the proceedings of a symposium, Co-Creation has allowed us to bring together and get out to the public, in France and abroad, the contributions this research project has inspired. No comparable reference work existed in France before the present publication. This book allows us to pursue a dialogue with all those who are contributing internationally to such reflections. It records the development of collective work that is helping to connect French and international universities, art centres, museums, art schools, etc. Different questions raised by co-creation practices and dealt with in earlier iterations are returned to or are treated in greater depth as new ones emerge. What, for example, is the heritage of popular education in co-creation practices? Who is speaking when more than one is in fact speaking? What is at stake in terms of power and statuses in a group that is working together? What kind of private connections and what kind of relationship to daily reality does that involve? What interactions exist between alternative educational methods and co-creation practices? What methodologies of evaluation, aesthetic or not, are possible?
Made up of theoretical and/or personal texts by philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, artists, and art historians, along with several interviews, this edition is organised around five essential cross-disciplinary themes, namely, conversation, the collective, education, vulnerability, and evaluation.

Editors: Céline Poulin & Marie Preston with the participation of Stéphanie Airaud
Texts: Stéphanie Airaud, Andrea Ancira, Marnie Badham, Virginie Bobin, Caroline Darroux, François Deck, Marie Fraser, Véronique Goudinoux, Núria Güell, Adelita Husni-Bey, Florence Jou, Grant H. Kester, Camille Louis, Pascal Nicolas-Le Strat, Maude Mandart, Christian Maurel, Céline Poulin, Marie Preston, Katia Schneller, Myriam Suchet, Mathilde Villeneuve.

Forthcoming issues:

n°31 — An Edition: The Serving Library. Interview with Stuart Bertolotti-Bailey by James Langdon — available
n°32 — A Graphic Designer and Illustrator: Bráulio Amado. Author: Manon Bruet — available
n°33 — Ligneous, tentacular forms: Decorative invasions and man eating plants. Author: Camille Pageard — available
n°34 — An award: What is a most beautiful book? Author: Thierry Chancogne — available
n°35 — An eye: artists’ view of the modern world 1911 – 1938. Author: Sonia de Puineuf — available
n°36 — Photography suspended: Herbert Bayer. Author: Remi Parcollet — available
n°37 — A polygraph: Georges Nelson. Author: Catherine Geel — available
n°38 — A debate: Jan Van Toorn / Wim Crouwel. Author: Thierry Chancogne — available
n°39 — A series of cards and performances: My Calling (Card) #1 #2 #3 by Adrian Piper. Author: Jérôme Dupeyrat — available
n°40 — A collaboration: Les Urbaines & Eurostandard. Author : Manon Bruet — available
n°41 — The Image of Fashion: Forget (fashion) photography? Author: Aude Felley — available
n°42 — 12 or 13 things I know about: F.R.DAVID. Authors: Victoire Le Bars et Benjamin Thorel — available

n°43 — A typeface: “Typographic writing”. Author: Thierry Chancogne — Forthcoming

n°44 — A conundrum: the visual communication of neuroscience. Author: James Langdon — Forthcoming
n°45 — Made Redundant. (4 templates). Author: Stuart Bertolotti-Bailey — Forthcoming