About

B.
Profile

Julia Claire Reitzer

My name is Julia Claire Reitzer, and I am a designer-researcher currently pursuing a PhD at the intersection of design and ancient materials. I also work as an independent graphic designer. My practice gradually shifted towards textiles following an artistic residency, and later developed through an interest in archaeological techniques.

My research is conducted at the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay (ENS Paris-Saclay). It is carried out across the Centre de recherche en design (CRD) and the PPSM chemistry laboratory. The project is co-supervised by designer James Auger, chemist Loïc Bertrand, and the Mihaly company. This research is funded by the Île-de-France Region.

Email ↗ LinkedIn ↗

B. I.
Background

B. I. 1.
Experience

Since 2023

Since 2021

10. 2026

06. 2026

2026–2027

2026–2027

01–02 2025

2020–2021

2020–2022

04–07 2020

06- 08. 2018

Contractual PhD candidate
→ Centre de recherche en design (ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI–Les Ateliers), Laboratoire PPSM (CNRS, ENS Paris-Saclay), Mihaly. Paris Région Île-de-France.

Independent designer
→ Microenterprise, SIRET 90461134000012.

Visiting researcher
→ CTR TexLab, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Examination board chair
→ Space design (DNMADe), École Boulle, Paris, France.

Design teacher
→ Research in design (Master), ENS Paris-Saclay | 64 hours.
→ Space design (DNMADe), Lycée Camille Claudel, Vauréal | 18 hours.
→ Space design (Master, DNMADe), Ensaama, Paris | 15 hours.

Member of the Helios designers' collective
→ Pavillon d'Angiviller, Mobilier national, Paris, France.

Designer in studio
→ Ruedi Baur network (Integral designers, civic city, DMH) Paris, France | Full-time.
→ Cakedesign agency, Paris, France | Internship.
→ Irobe Design Institute, Tokyo, Japan | Full-time.

B. I. 2.
Education

Since 2023

2022–2023

2020–2021

2018–2020

02–06 2019

2015–2017

PhD in Design
→ CRD (ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI–Les Ateliers), PPSM (CNRS, ENS Paris-Saclay), Mihaly. Initiative funded by the Île-de-France Region.

Master's degree in Design research
→ ENS Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Master's degree in Creation, project, transdisciplinarity
→ CNAM, CESAAP, Campus des Métiers d'Art & Design, École Boulle, Ensaama, Duperré, Estienne, Mobilier national.

DSAA in Graphic design, transmedia
→ Ensaama Olivier-de-Serres, Paris, France.

Erasmus exchange, MSc in Design
→ Politecnico di Milano, Bovisa Campus, Milan, Italy.

Two-year technical degree (BTS) in Graphic Design, printed media
→ École Estienne, Paris, France.

B. I. 3 .
Residencies, grants
& awards

11. 2026

10. 2026

07. 2026

05. 2026

04. 2024

07. 2023

2020–2021

International textile residency
→ Icelandic Textile Center, Blönduós, Iceland | 1 month.

International research visit
→ CTR TexLab, Elsa Yvanez, Copenhagen, Denmark | 1 week.

Archaeological excavation fieldwork
→ APSADiodurum, Olivier Blin, Jouars-Pontchartrain, France | 10 days.

Grant for fieldwork
→ GS Humanités et Sciences du Patrimoine, Université Paris-Saclay, France | 1 year.

Grant for equipment acquisition
→ Objet Interdisciplinaire Palabre, Université Paris-Saclay, France | 1 year.

Doctoral fellowship
→ Paris Region PhD 2023, Île-de-France Region, DIM PAMIR, France | 3 years.

Artistic residency
→ Manufacture des Gobelins, Mobilier national, Paris, France | 1 year.

B. II.
Contribution

B. II. 1.
Coordination

Since 2025

Since 2025

Since 2024

10. 2026

01–05 2026

08, 2025

2023–2025

2023–2025

PhD student representative
→ CRD, ENS Paris-Saclay.

Committee member, “Experimenting at the time of finitude”
→ CRD, PPSM, CRH, EHESS, ENS Paris-Saclay, MSH Paris-Saclay.

PPSM seminar coordinator
→ PPSM, Matériaux anciens et du patrimoine, CNRS, ENS Paris-Saclay.

Textile workshop coordinator
→ Fête de la Science, ENS Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, France.

Workshop contributor, “Prototyma”
→ ENSCI–Les Ateliers and DIM PAMIR, Paris, France.

Workshop coordinator, « Introduction au textile »
→ Fablab U.P-Saclay.

Committee member, “Design, Narrative(s) and Literary Theory(ies)”
→ ENSCI, ENS Paris-Saclay, universities of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, Nanterre, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 8.

Committee member, “Donner corps au patrimoine”
→ Objet Interdisciplinaire Palabre, Université Paris-Saclay.

B. II. 2.
Written contribution

In progress

In progress

In progress

2026

2026

2025

International article. Jérémie Ritoux, Julia Claire Reitzer, Arnaud Brayard, and Loïc Bertrand, Cleaving fossils.
→ Preprint submitted to Elsevier.

Book. Julia Claire Reitzer, Loïc Bertrand, Etienne Ainheim. Expérimenter au temps de la finitude. Quand l’étude des matériaux anciens rencontre ses limites.
→ Preprint submitted to Éditions de Minuit.

Book chapter. Julia Claire Reitzer, Loïc Bertrand. Exploring the past for modern technological applications, in Materials, Technology and Society, Volume 2/3.
→ Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent and David Pontille. English-language editions, World Scientific.

International article. Han Zhou, Julia Claire Reitzer, and al. Paleo-inspiration as a stimulating novel approach for sustainable practices in heritage conservation.
→ ICOM-CC, Triennial Conference Publications.

Journal article. Julia Claire Reitzer. Donner corps aux absences, « Faux voir », Azimuts 62.
→ Cité du design | Esadse (LEM). Bilingual edition.

Conference proceedings. Julia Claire Reitzer, Le textile en transparence. Mettre en lumière les dimensions imperceptibles, in Montrer-cacher, ou la Transparence Textile.
→ Éditions Les Indes Savantes.

B. II. 3.
Oral presentation

Since 2023

11. 2026

06. 2026

05. 2026

02-04 2026

02. 2026

12. 2025

11. 2025

04. 2025

03. 2025

01. 2025

11. 2024

11. 2024

07. 2024

06. 2024

05. 2024

2024

05. 2023

06. 2023

CRD PhD seminars
→ ENSCI - Les Ateliers.

Study day « La matérialité à l’épreuve du projet »
→ LéAV, CRD, GS HSP Paris-Saclay.

Vivatech 2026 forum
→ Paris Région Ile-de-France stand, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, France.

5^th edition, « Les Ontonautiques »
→ ENSCI - Les Ateliers, France.

Cycle of seminars “Experimenting at the time of finitude”
→ ENS Paris-Saclay, EHESS, MSH Paris-Saclay, France.

DIM PAMIR congress « Émergence »
→ Université Paris Nanterre.

International conference “Design, Narrative(s) and Literary Theory(ies)”
→ ENSCI, ENS Paris-Saclay, Universities of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, Nanterre, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 8.

Seminar “Prototype stories”
→ ENSCI, ENSAD de Limoges, etc.

4^th edition, « Les Ontonautiques »
→ École Camondo, France.

SITEM forum
→ Carrousel du Louvre.

Academic study day « Canons culturels et savoirs institués »
→ Université d’Évry.

AFET 2024 study day « Montrer-cacher, ou la Transparence textile »
→ Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy.

Seminar « Le corps à l’œuvre. Geste(s), patrimonialisation »
→ OI Palabre, Maison de l’Île-de-France,

Gordon research conference
→ Les Diablerets, Switzerland.

PPSM student days
→ PPSM, ENS Paris-Saclay.

Seminar « L’œuvre du corps. Dynamiques créatrices et dynamiques spectatrices »
→ OI Palabre, UVSQ Paris-Saclay.

Seminars « Le DNMADe et après ? »
→ Université de Franche-Comté,

International study day “New Research on Mineralized Textiles”
→ Musée du Louvre,

Mediation in museum
→ Galerie Dior, salle des Artisans, Paris.

B. III.
Expertise

B. III. 1.
Archaeo-textile

09. 2025

07. 2025

05. 2025

09. 2024

09–10 2024

09–12 2023

Dyeing archaeological textiles
→ Marie Marquet, Die, France | 2 days.

Archaeology of textiles
→ Marie-Pierre Puybaret, Landébia, France | 4 days.

History and anthropology of textiles
→ Sophie Desrosiers, EHESS | 1 week.

Analysis of ancient textiles
→ Suzanne Lassalle, ENSCI–Les Ateliers, Paris, France | 1 week.

Qualification in Handloom weaving
→ Côme Touvay, ENSCI–Les Ateliers, Paris, France | 2 months.

Ancient and heritage materials
→ Loïc Bertrand, ENS Paris-Saclay | 1 semester, 24 hours.

B. III. 2.
Practices

Design research, creative project management (studio, freelance), analysis and practice of Protohistoric textiles, graphic design practice (print, digital), design culture, teaching, workshop management, exhibition and interdisciplinary seminar coordination, research writing.

Weaving, spinning, textile dyeing, sublimation, setup of vertical and horizontal looms.

Screen printing, risograph printing, printing, mapping, photography, illustration, typography, publishing, bookbinding.

B. III. 3.
Digital tools

Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, etc.), Affinity, Fontself, WordPress, Cargo, Microsoft Office Suite, Blender 3D, MeshLab, Keyence digital microscope.

B. III. 3.
Languages

French, English.

Julia Claire Reitzer

Last updated: August 2026

Research, design and ancient materials

Welcome to the platform bringing together my current work: activities, research, projects, reflections, and practices

Keywords: design, speculation, historical materials, archaeology, textiles, heritage, fragments, epistemology, institutions.

A.
Research projects

I.
Research projects

Halo Helios

In Praise of Blandness

2. a.

TexNum 2023

Coupling design, digital technology and heritage materials science to renew the experience in museum textile collections (2023).

2. b.

TexNum 2026

Coupling design, digital technology and heritage materials science to renew the experience in museum textile collections (2026).

TRAMEs

Transdisciplinary Research Articulating Multiple EnvironmentS.

SCoPE

Speculative COllection based on Past Evidence.

GAPS Lab

The Group for Ancient and Potentiel Systems.

II.
Research events

––

Donner Corps au Patrimoine

PPSM-D

Research seminars, meetings and workshops

––

Design, narrative(s) and literary theory(ies)

ETF 2026

Experimenting at the time of finitude. When the study of ancient materials encounters its limits.

A. I. 01.

Acronym

Halo Helios

Project title

Halo Helios. In Praise of Blandness

Collaboration

Mobilier national, Manufacture des Gobelins, Conférence des Écoles supérieures d’Arts appliqués de Paris (Césaap) : Ecoles Duperré, Boulle, Estienne et Olivier-de-Serres. Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam)
.

Hand-dyed textiles (indigo, gentian) which were then pleated at the Lognon workshop to explore an aesthetic of ageing

Project led by Helios collective in residence at Mobilier national
Photos © Julia Claire Reitzer

Sites: Mobilier national, Manufacture des Gobelins, Dyeing workshop, Pavillon Angiviller.

2.5D surface printing

The Helios collective is composed of four designers: Julia Claire Reitzer (Estienne, Ensaama), Léontine Pigot (Estienne), Willina Sossou (Boulle), and Éloïse Ravet (Boulle).

While visiting the workshops, it was observed that in the processes of creation and restoration of objects, the choice of colours and materials is made in relation to light, in order to reduce its potentially decontextualising impact. The fadeometer is precisely the instrument used to assess the resistance of a colour when exposed to light. From this observation, we raised the following question: what if, instead of altering objects, light were to reveal the passage of time upon them? By turning light’s “hostility” towards colour into an asset within the creative process, the project is inscribed within a sustainability approach, proposing a conception of alteration as a form of enhancement of the object over time.

Acknowledgements: all the artisans of the Mobilier National, Ines Mangin from the tapestry restoration department, Sylvie Heurteux from NIMES, Sylvie Cikalleschi from the Dyeing Workshop, and the Lognon workshop

A. I. 02. a.

Acronym

TexNum 2023

Project title

Coupling design, digital technology and heritage materials science to renew the experience in museum textile collections

Collaboration

Mihaly (Institut d’Optique), Corentin De Sade, ENS Paris-Saclay

Digitisation of an ancient textile using photogrammetry with Mihaly technologies

Project led by Julia Claire Reitzer
Photos © Julia Claire Reitzer, Mihaly

Project funded by the Île-de-France Region and supported by Mihaly company, Christophe Leynadier.

Collection © Corentin De Sade. Ceinture Obi 帯, années 1940-50, 342 x 29,5 cm, soie et fils d’argent

2.5D surface printing

The development of digital technologies offers ways of presenting heritage collections to the public. The aim of this project is to build an integrated data chain, through the lens of visual experience in order to highlight heritage textile collections. In museums, light is attenuated for reasons of preventive conservation (alteration of dyes and fibres), which in turn leads to limited or even misrepresentations of works for which optical perception and touch are key.

The project, carried out at ENS Paris-Saclay, in partnership with the Mihaly company, aims to enhance the interpretative and perceptive dimensions of the textile object (nuances, details) by using design methods such as: conceptualisation, creative exploration, prospective and reflexive approaches. To this end, the creation of 3D replicas, whilst moving away from hyper-realism, make it possible to add layers of physical interpretation through the development of new readings, relationships and understandings of different works of textiles. These devices will be tested in real-life contexts as new mediums of information for museological and educational purposes. The aim is to develop new visual experiences, based on an interplay between digital and physical worlds, that enable the public to acquire knowledge and better remember the experience.

A. I. 02. b.

Acronym

TexNum 2026

Project title

Coupling design, digital technology and heritage materials science to renew the experience in museum textile collections

Collaboration

Mihaly (Institut d’Optique), Keyence France, ENS Paris-Saclay

3D reproduction process using focus stacking with Keyence and Mihaly technologies (color and elevation data)

Project led by Julia Claire Reitzer
Photos © Julia Claire Reitzer, Keyence

Project funded by the Île-de-France Region and supported by Mihaly company, Christophe Leynadier

1/99 Micro-fragment of mineralised textile from Creney-Le-Paradis (Aube, France), central pit, c. late 6th-5th BC, sample N71 - M_7, (25 x 16 x 2.4 mm, 0.90 g), box LRMF22743, copper-based sheet, wool, face A, 2/2 twill. Photos

This project builds on the TexNum 2023 project, which aimed to develop an integrated data chain to revitalise the presentation of heritage textile collections, notably through the creation of 3D replicas and the integration of digital and physical experiences. This new initiative focuses on the study and presentation of archaeological micro-objects that are particularly overlooked, fragmentary and fragile. The aim is to obtain detailed recordings of the morphological and three-dimensional structures of the textiles. This data will enable their reproduction via 2.5D printing, with a view to museum display. The collection was examined using the latest model of the Keyence VHX X1F microscope at the ENS Paris-Saclay.

[This work is in progress.]

A. I. 03

Acronyme

TRAMEs

Titre complet

Transdisciplinary Research Articulating Multiple EnvironmentS

Collaboration

CRD (ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI Les Ateliers), PPSM (ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS), Icelandic Textile Center, Centre for Textile Research (University of Copenhague).

Warp-weighted loom (simple, modular, economical version)

Project led by Julia Claire Reitzer
Photos © Julia Claire Reitzer

Project funded by the Île-de-France Region

With the support of the Interdisciplinary Object PaLabRe Paris-Saclay and the Graduate School of Humanities & Heritage Science at Université Paris-Saclay.

Lou-Ann’s first experience of textile archaeology

The Transdisciplinary Research Articulating Multiple Environments (TRAMEs) project brings together several environment to focuses on archaeological fragments whose interpretation raises epistemological and museological issues. Drawing on a corpus of ancient textiles, the project will use an archaeo-textile approach to develop a library of samples embodying different interpretations, based on scientific data and hypotheses. Each sample will be accompanied by methodological documentation ensuring transparency and reproducibility. The aim is not to validate a hypothesis, but to highlight the plurality of possible interpretations by navigating between data and uncertainties.

In this context, the project requires a tailored protocol and production time. To this end, two complementary research stays are planned. The first fieldwork period will be used to develop the methodology and the workflow. This will take place at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) at the Centre for Textile Research in late October 2026. The second fieldwork period will focus on material experimentation and the production of the project. This will take place as part of a research residency at the Icelandic Textile Centre in Blönduós (Iceland) in November 2026.

[This work is in progress.]

A. I. 04.

Abréviation

SCoPE

Titre complet

Speculative Collection based on Past Evidence.

Collaboration

CRD (ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI Les Ateliers)

Current state of the art regarding the corpus and its context

Project led by Julia Claire Reitzer
Graphic design and photos © Julia Claire Reitzer

Project funded by the Île-de-France Region

Corpus of textile fragments, the subjects of the research

How can we materialise what scientific data allows us to imagine about the past while integrating the uncertainties inherent to any reconstruction? Speculative Collection based on Past Evidence (SCoPE) is a practice-based research project that explores this question through particularly fragmentary archaeological materials.

It brings together the data required to develop a collection of speculative samples derived from interpretations and data drawn from scientific and historical corpora. Each sample constitutes a materialised hypothesis, or an “informed speculation.” The aim is not to seek to reconstruct what has disappeared, as knowledge of the past can never be exhaustive, but rather to make tangible what the sources allow us to assert, imagine, or question.

At the intersection of experimental archaeology and practice-based design research, SCoPE also explores how the different layers of information that constitute each material speculation—observation, literature, data, and interpretation—can be made perceptible, and how the research process that led to its production can be made visible.

[This work is in progress.]

A. I. 04.

Abréviation

GAPS Lab

Titre complet

The Group for Ancient and Potential Systems

Collaboration

CRD (ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI Les Ateliers), IDHE.S (ENS Paris-Saclay, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis, Université Paris Nanterre, Université Paris-Saclay – Université d’Évry, CNRS), PPSM (CNRS / ENS Paris-Saclay)

Current state of the art regarding the corpus and its context

Since 2026, the Centre for Design Research (CRD) has been developing a “fictional laboratory” project focused on how knowledge about fragmentary archaeological remains is produced, at the intersection of design and the science of ancient materials. The project builds on collaborations between the CRD and the PPSM, including Julia Claire Reitzer’s PhD research and work with researcher Loïc Bertrand on paleo-inspired approaches in chemistry, applied to conservation and design.

This research has shifted the focus from scientific practices to the frameworks and structures that shape the objects studied and the forms of knowledge that can be produced about them. The project therefore explores different types of institutional frameworks, and more specifically the conditions that allow hybrid and alternative forms of knowledge to emerge.

Building on the CRD’s research into speculative design, the project looks at fictional structures that use the codes of institutions while changing or questioning them. These structures make it possible to experiment with other ways of producing, legitimising, and sharing knowledge, while also questioning what is recognised, preserved, and passed on as heritage.

A. II. 01.

Abréviation

––

Titre

Donner Corps au Patrimoine

Collaboration

OI PaLabRe, Université Paris Saclay, ENS Paris-Saclay, UVSQ Paris-Saclay, Maison de l’Île-de-France, MSH Paris-Saclay

International conference. Session 3 – The work of the body (16 June 2024). Prof Robert G. Erdmann (Rijksmuseum)

Project funded by Objet Interdisciplinaire PaLabRe (Patrimoine en Laboratoire Réflexif) from Université Paris-Saclay

Scientific committee: Julia Claire Reitzer, Mahaut Cazals, Laure Cazals, Quentin Bernet, Ronan Bretel, Charles Maupou, Flore Heinrich

Steering committee: Marie Cornu, Pierre Chastang, Loïc Bertrand, François Robinet, Cynthia Collmelere

Graphic design and photos © Julia Claire Reitzer

Poster for Session 4 – The body at work (6 November 2024)

The Objet interdisciplinaire Patrimoine en Laboratoire réflexif (OI Palabre), established in 2018 at Université Paris-Saclay, aims to foster collaboration between the various disciplines involved in heritage studies. Its work is structured around three main areas: materials, practices and systems; the dematerialization of objects and practices; and vocabularies. Following two cycles devoted first to authenticity, and then to origins, traces and provenance, the seminar is launching a third series, « Donner corps au patrimoine », organized over two academic years and comprising six sessions.

For this edition, a team of doctoral students has chosen to examine the relationships between bodies and heritage, regarded as a particularly fertile field for interdisciplinary research. The inaugural session focuses on the different ways of naming, describing, classifying and categorizing bodies in museum and scientific collections, whether human or non-human, standardized or considered outside established norms. It thus invites reflection on the processes through which categories are constructed and on the effects of disciplinary vocabularies.

The aim is to foster dialogue between historians, art historians, legal scholars, curators, conservators-restorers, scientists and sociologists, while bringing their respective methods and concepts into conversation. The six sessions will successively explore the vocabularies of the body, its materiality, its hybridization, and its place in heritage-making. This approach forms part of a broader collective reflection on the possibilities of breaking down disciplinary boundaries within heritage sciences.

A. II. 02.

Abréviation

PPSM-D

Titre

The PPSM Seminar 2026.
Heritage and paleo-inspired materials.

Collaboration

PPSM-D (Ancient and heritage materials), ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS, DIM PAMIR

PPSM textile workshop at FabLab UPSaclay, led by Julia Claire Reitzer and Clarisse Barbot

Poster for Session 2026-3 with French and international guests

The PPSM seminar 2026. Heritage and paleo-inspired materials, organized at ENS Paris-Saclay, is part of the activities of the PPSM laboratory, thematic area D, “Ancient and Heritage Materials,” directed by Loïc Bertrand, physical chemist. This seminar project, which I coordinate, brings together an interdisciplinary team of chemists, physicists, mathematicians, research engineers, sociologists, designers, curators, and conservators-restorers.

Every two months, the event takes place at the PPSM laboratory and is structured in two parts. The first hour is devoted to a research seminar bringing together PPSM team members and invited researchers from France and abroad. Among the speakers hosted are Antonia Papasergio (Università di Bologna), Cécile Michel (ArScAn), Adrien Hornung (Institut Polytechnique), Christian Bessy (IDHES), Javiera Parr (CRD), Chloë Coustet (IPANEMA), Emeline Retournard (CHEC), Violetta Rafael (Institut Polytechnique), Chun Hao Hwu (University of Strasbourg), Avril Deschryver (École du Louvre), and Ineke Joosten (Laboratory of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands). The second hour is dedicated to an internal research meeting, providing a space for the team to exchange on new challenges and projects related to the laboratory: equipment priorities, funding calls, budgets, events, experiments, and publications.

The seminar program also includes laboratory visits and hands-on practical workshops. These activities include, in particular, textile-focused workshops, providing an opportunity to explore materials, techniques, and experimental approaches related to heritage objects.

A. II. 03.

Abréviation

––

Titre

Design, narrative(s) and literary theory(ies)

Collaboration

ENSCI Les Ateliers, ENS Paris-Saclay, Universities of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, Nanterre, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 8.

Mireille Séguy et Pierre Bayard. Photos

Project led by Aurélien Fouillet at ENSCI les Ateliers, ENS Paris Saclay, (Centre de recherche en Design)

Graphic design @ Julia Claire Reitzer,
Photos @ Christophe Daguet

Comité scientifique : Pierre Bayard (Paris 8), Mireille Séguy (Paris 3), Fabien Boully (Paris Nanterre), Armand Béhar (ENSCI), James Auger (ENS), Emile de Vischer (ENS), Aurélien Fouillet (ENSCI), Fleur Hopkins-Loféron, Alexandra Midal (HEAD), Thangam Ravindranathan (Brown University), Henriette Korthals-Altes (University of London), Loriane Lafont Grave (University of Chicago), Lucie Thévenet (Nantes Université), Delphine Jayot (Eötvös Loránd University), Ur Apalategui (Université de Pau et des pays de l’Adour), Frédéric Sounac (Université Toulouse 2), Eugénie Péron-Douté (Université de Lorraine)

ogie, histoire et archéologie.

Following the symposium dedicated to Pierre Bayard, held in Chicago in 2024, this international conference, taking place at ENSCI–Les Ateliers in Paris from December 3 to 5, 2025, continues the exploration of the links between speculative and critical design, narrative practices, and literary theory. It brings together several research and educational institutions around an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together theoretical, methodological, and historical perspectives.

Speculative design explores the capacity of narratives to produce critical alternatives in response to contemporary issues. Drawing in particular on science fiction, counterfactual histories, and practices of ethno-fiction, it examines the uses, technologies, organizations, and representations that shape our lives. Objects, interfaces, and services are thus considered as carriers of narratives and scenarios, inviting us to question the materiality of discourse.

Conversely, literary theory, particularly Pierre Bayard’s work on possible worlds, alternative temporalities, and the autonomy of characters, provides tools for thinking about objects and their narratives. The conference notably explores the notions of “possible objects,” agency, fiction, narration, and storytelling, as well as the relationships between the imaginary, politics, and materiality.

Papers, performances, workshops, and exhibitions provide opportunities to explore these issues and foster exchanges between design, literature, cinema, the arts, anthropology, history, and archaeology.

A. II. 04.

Acronym

ETF 2026

Project title

Experimenting at the time of finitude.
When the study of ancient materials encounters its limits.

Collaboration

PPSM (ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS), CRD (ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI Les Ateliers), CRH (EHESS, CNRS)

Special Guest: Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, historian of science and emeritus professor at the Max Planck Institute, Berlin.
Session 3. Wednesday, March 4, 2026, ENS Paris-Saclay.

Project led by Julia Claire Reitzer, designer (CRD, PPSM – ENS Paris-Saclay, ENSCI Les Ateliers), Loïc Bertrand, physico-chimiste des matériaux (PPSM – ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS), Étienne Anheim, historien médiéviste (CRH – EHESS)
Project funded by the Île-de-France Region.
Support from MSH Paris-Saclay.
Graphic design @ Julia Claire Reitzer
Interns : Illustration @ Ilona Bertrand - Photos @ Julie Ansel

The seminar combines cross-disciplinary perspectives—in material sciences, archeology, design, and history—as well as familiar practices and narratives whose scope remains only partially recognised and at times unexamined. We will focus on what Hans-Jörg Rheinberger identifies as the fundamental importance of the “experimental cons- truction of knowledge”, following the idea that scientific data cannot be dissociated from the actions through which they are produced. This will bring us to question the impact of what is often called the “resource” of experimental work. Material resources (samples, heritage objects, raw materials, etc.) are not neutral, but handled, situated, and unstable, and therefore call for meticulous methods; otherwise, they could be easily damaged, transformed, or even erased. In this context, marked by the vulnerability of material resources, we can no longer consider such materials mere passive supports for knowledge. Their limited availability, alteration, and the operations of sampling, conser- vation, or interpretation to which they are subjected lead us to profoundly reconfigure the very conditions of scientific experimentation. Each gesture—sampling, analysis, manipulation, and interpretation —requires heightened awareness of what is mobilised in knowledge production, and is not without consequences for the practice of science. This observation is particularly evident in the study of ancient heritage materials, but also resonates beyond this field. Crossing disciplinary boundaries enables us to question modes of knowledge production in an era of uncertainty, risk, and transformation, towards a less extractivist approach.

S1. Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 16h30–18h30, Room 1Z62
S2. Wednesday, February 18, 2026
S3. Wednesday, March 4, 2026. with Hans-Jörg Rheinberger
S4. Wednesday, April 1, 2026
S5. Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Created by Julia Claire Reitzer with Cargo