The Bureau des Images, on the initiative of the Région Grand Estis organizing the 2nd edition of the Rencontres Internationales, de la Culture, de la Connaissance et de l’Immersif in Bliiida (Metz) on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 October 2023 (see the program and register). This edition will focus on the contributions, challenges and development methods of digital and immersive projects in cultural venues and territories. Aimed at local authorities, museums and creative studios, this not-to-be-missed Grand Est event for those involved in digital creation in the fields of culture, knowledge and memory will offer a program rich in intra-regional, inter-regional and international feedback. The challenges and contributions of immersive experiences in local areas and cultural venues will be discussed, as well as financing models and possible approaches to innovation and sustainability.
1. October 4 – What are the benefits and challenges of cultural digital immersion in local areas?
The Région Grand Est is a particularly rich territory for digital projects carried out by both cultural venues and local authorities. The Musées association Grand Est and the Agence régionale de tourisme will be highlighting the region’s cultural, heritage and tourism assets, and discussing the various innovative dynamics currently at work in the region. These dynamics contribute to strengthening the appeal of local cultural and tourist offerings, revitalizing the heart of towns and countryside, and boosting the cultural offerings of a variety of cultural, museum and heritage venues.
This presentation will be completed by a workshop with the various participants to refine the contributions of digital and immersive culture in terms of their contribution to the challenges of a region’s venues and territories, diversification and broadening of audiences, and implementation methods.
The morning session will conclude with the sharing of different trends on the economic potential of immersive experiences, before welcoming, in the afternoon, presentations of some emblematic projects implemented in a variety of territories, such as :
- The Métamorph’eauses festival in Chalons-en-Champagne to develop a region’s appeal;
- The Centre de Lumières at the Saline d’Arc-et-Senans as a means of diversifying and attracting new audiences;
- Pressoria, an interpretation center dedicated to the wines of Champagne, promoting an interpretative, multi-sensory approach to this terroir;
- The Cité du Vitrail, which showcases a region’s intangible heritage and know-how.
2. October 5 – How to set up immersive and digital projects in cultural venues and territories? Experiment, co-design, finance, innovate and sustain.
The implementation of innovative projects requires the creation of conditions conducive to innovation, the promotion and diversification of public-private partnerships, and the active support of local authorities and their partners, both financially and in terms of expertise.
This is the challenge of a panel that will highlight strategies for financing digital and immersive projects at the scale of a venue or community by :
- The implementation of an experimentation program to source innovations, with feedback from the Museum Lab at the Pôle Muséal de Mons in Belgium;
- The development of a nocturnal immersive experience to intensify the uses of a cultural venue with the sound odyssey of the Théâtre Antique d’Orange ;
- The implementation of an experimental program for the creation of a cultural chatbot (Ask Lea) for the Museums of the city of Reims;
- Launching calls for expressions of interest or calls for projects, such as the Région Grand Est co-creation workshop at the Musée de la Cour d’Or.
The mobilization of different types of funding and the need to experiment are also the guarantee, paradoxically, that such projects will endure over time. To discuss these sustainability issues, a number of topics will be addressed, including :
- Setting up artistic projects that promote eco-responsibility through close cooperation between the local population and the international creative community. This is the angle proposed by the director of Lyon’s Festival of Lights;
- The development of a virtuous, sustainable program in close contact with the local area. This is the purpose of the Musicaventure project led by the Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes, designed in close collaboration with a number of local players, both public and private.
- The creation of a creative ecosystem that fosters collaboration between students and professionals. That’s what the Fête des Images d’Epinal is all about, with a full-scale workshop organized in conjunction with Ecole des Gobelins, Ecole Méliès and ESAL.
- Diversification of cultural programming to promote emerging digital arts projects, while ensuring an artistic and economic balance with other cultural offerings. This will be the topic addressed by the head of social and cultural programs at Les Rotondes, Luxembourg’s cultural and artistic center.
In addition to the various panels (see program and register)will be offered:
- Keynotes on innovation, available funding and the eco-responsibility of digital projects;
- Workshops on the links between video games and cultural mediation (with the participation of Ubisoft) and generative artificial intelligence.
- Presentations by international design studios,
- Networking events
- And demonstrations of digital and immersive projects.
