Against the backdrop of a global decline in biodiversity that is affecting the psychological well-being of individuals and human groups, a question resurfaces - one that, millennia after millennia, has remained fundamental: How do we cope with loss? In 2023, Vinciane Despret (Les morts à l'œuvre) proposes a form of mourning rooted in the vitality of life: a mourning that, rather than urging us to forget, includes the dead within the community of the living. It is about remembering-with the dead, who, in turn, help maintain the bonds that connect the living to one another. Ritual practices of mourning in many traditional societies similarly served to strengthen community cohesion.

Held as part of Demeure, an exhibition presenting artworks within, and in dialogue with Pantin Cemetery, this symposium addresses the issue of funerary practices through the lens of political ecology. Taking as its starting point Europe’s largest cemetery - home to as many graves as there are forms of animal, plant, and microscopic life, and hosting a variety of funeral rites drawn from multiple cultural traditions - this event invites us to reflect on the interdependent bonds that unite the living with the dead. The aim will be to examine the ecological impact of funeral rites and ritual practices of mourning, with a particular focus on new funeral practices that view death as a process of transformation capable of regenerating both the soil and the social fabric. 

Our guests, drawn from academic, artistic, activist and non-profit circles, will shed light on ways of restoring the bodies of the deceased to an ecosystem in which they take part, organically and biologically, but also politically and socially. In so doing, new avenues of thought may emerge towards reclaiming our relationship to death, be it human or more-than-human.

Conceived and organised by Tilhenn Klapper, with the support and participation of the Campus Condorcet.
With Firyel Abdeljaouad, Giovanni Aloi, the duo -h-, Vincent Lecomte, Magali Molinié, Grégory Nieuviarts, Marine Prunier, Léa Rivière and Mathilde Tahar.

— 9:30 am: Welcome
— 9:45 am: Introduction by Tilhenn Klapper

I. UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSFORMING CEMETERIES

— 10:00–10:30 am: Firyel Abdeljaouad, Curator of the Pantin Parisian Cemetery. Nothing Important Dies.
— 10:30–11:15 am: Magali Molinié, lecturer and researcher in psychology, Université Paris 8 and Cornell University. Making Commons with Our Dead, Thickening Our Milieus.
> 11:15–11:30 am: Coffee break

II. REINVENTING OUR FUNERAL RITES

— 11:30 am–12:30 pm: Grégory Nieuviarts, co-founder of the Rennes funeral cooperative, in conversation with Marine Prunier, artist. Moderated by Tilhenn Klapper.
— 12:30–1:15 pm: Duo -h-, artists and activists. Grafted Rituals for the Living and the Dead.
> 1:15–2:15 pm: Lunch break
— 2:15–3:15 pm: Léa Rivière, artist and poet. Learning to Grieve.

III. RETHINKING NON-HUMAN DEATHS

— 3:15–4:00 pm: Mathilde Tahar, researcher in the philosophy of biology, UCL. Mourning and Bonds Among Non-Humans.
> 4:00–4:15 pm: Coffee break
— 4:15–5:15 pm: Vincent Lecompte, artist and lecturer-researcher in aesthetics, ECLLA, Université de Saint-Étienne. Through the Eye of the Dead Animal: A Prosopopoeia.
— 5:15–6:00 pm: Giovanni Aloi, writer and art lecturer, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Secret Death of Plants. (Talk in English)

Unless otherwise indicated, all contributions will be delivered in French.

On 27 October 2026, from 9.30am to 6pm
Auditorium 250, Centre des Colloques, Campus Condorcet — Place du Front populaire, 93300 Aubervilliers
Free registration

Two communities, one shared territory

Based in Aubervilliers, POUSH and Campus Condorcet share the same local roots and a commitment to making artistic knowledge and practices accessible beyond their respective communities.

Campus Condorcet brings together a large community of researchers in the humanities and social sciences, whilst POUSH unites more than 250 artists working across a wide range of disciplines: painting, sculpture, video, performance, photography, design and sound.

Bringing these two communities together opens up new avenues of work. Artists can draw on documentary resources, research materials and scholarly perspectives, whilst researchers can test their work against other forms of representation and storytelling.

Concrete and reciprocal collaborations

This partnership will result in numerous joint initiatives. Round-table discussions, conferences, film screenings followed by debates, workshops, exhibitions and performances will be hosted on the Campus. Coffee meetings between POUSH artists and Campus researchers will also be organised regularly to foster new projects.

At POUSH’s request, the Campus will be able to connect artists with researchers whose work resonates with their projects. Artists in residence will also have access to the Humathèque’s collections and may, from time to time, use spaces on the Campus to work, exhibit or organise workshops. Certain works by POUSH artists may also be displayed for longer periods in various spaces on the Campus.

This exchange will flow in both directions: POUSH will open its spaces to researchers and artists from the Campus and offer guided tours of its exhibitions. Particular attention will be paid to welcoming artists and researchers in exile, notably as part of the UXIL and PAUSE programmes.

Finally, the partnership will feature in the Campus’s major scientific and cultural events. As part of the Printemps des Humanités, for example, POUSH may identify an artist or collective whose work resonates with the festival’s theme.

For further information: https://www.campus-condorcet.fr/en