Image: Pierre Mariétan
Seminar

Symposium Present Continuous Past II - Sonic environments, listening, composition, and sonic practices in situ

Date and times: March 26, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Location: Hybrid format, Room 6 of the Panthéon Center, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and via videoconference

Address: 12, place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris

Organizing committee: Anna Charrière (PhD student, APESA, Paris 1), Julie Michel (PhD student, LISAA, UGE), Azadeh Nilchiani (Postdoc, DEM’ARTS-ACTE, Paris 1).

Scientific committee: Miguel Almiron PR (ACTE, Paris 1), Geneviève Mathon PR (LISAA, UGE), Azadeh Nilchiani (Postdoc DEM’ARTS-ACTE, Paris 1)

Contact: Azadeh.Nilchiani@univ-paris1.fr, Anna.Charriere@etu.univ-paris1.fr, ​​ julie0michel@gmail.com

The symposium partners: DEM’ARTS project, Paris 1 University, Doctoral School 279 APESA, Institut ACTE Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, LISAA laboratory, Gustave Eiffel University.

Audience: The symposium is open to researchers, artists, and students.

>> Registration is required for those not affiliated with Paris 1 University:

https://demarts.pantheonsorbonne.fr/inscription-la-journee-detude-present-continuous-past-ii 

Speakers

Keynote: Bill Fontana

Morning: Tribute to Pierre Mariétan

Sylvie Guichard, Roberto Barbanti, Nathan Belval, Ray Gallon, Mihu Iliescu, Carmen Pardo Salgado

Afternoon

Christine Groult, Michel Risse, Christian Zanési

Aurélie Herbet, Stéphane Marin, Eleni-Ira Panourgia, Mélia Roger

 

* The symposium will be accompanied by the exhibition Pierre Mariétan – La démocratie sonore, presented at the library of the École des arts de la Sorbonne.

March 23–April 30, opening reception on April 8, 2026, 6:00–7:30 p.m.

 

Preliminary Program

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Welcome

9:15 AM – 9:30 AM Introduction: Miguel Almiron

9:30 AM – 12:00 PM Morning session in tribute to Pierre Mariétan

Roberto Barbanti, Mihu Iliescu, Sylvie Guichard, Nathan Belval, Ray Gallon, Carmen Pardo Salgado (via videoconference)

Moderators: Geneviève Mathon and Azadeh Nilchiani

Lunch break (12:00 PM–2:00 PM)

2:00 PM–3:00 PM

 

Keynote : Bill Fontana (via videoconference)

3:00 PM–4:00 PM Session I: Electroacoustic composition, installations, and in situ sound creation

Christine Groult, Michel Risse, Christian Zanési

Moderators: Anna Charrière

4:00 PM – 4:15 PM Break

4:15 PM – 5:30 PM Session II: Listening and Sound Creations in Living Spaces

Aurélie Herbet, Stéphane Marin, Mélia Roger, Eleni-Ira Panourgia (via videoconference)

Moderator: Julie Michel

5:30 PM End of the day

Presentation

How can we document, renew, and transmit the artistic approaches that have contributed to the emergence of in situ (Site-specific) sound art practices? The aim of this Symposium is to promote the exchange and circulation of knowledge between generations of creators, researchers, and educators around these in situ practices, such as sound installations, soundwalks, field recordings, performances. It offers a look back at a living heritage while questioning contemporary practices that challenge our relationship with our living environments through sound.

From 1969 to 1988, Pierre Mariétan taught at the École des Arts de la Sorbonne at Paris 1 University, addressing issues of urban planning, architecture, landscape, and the morphology of the environment and habitat . Iannis Xenakis, associate professor at the U.E.R. (University Education Unit) of Plastic Arts and Art Sciences at Paris 1 University, established a seminar in 1972 entitled "Formalization and Programming in the Visual Arts and Music ." 

The pioneering work of Californian artist Bill Fontana from the late 1960s reflects the development of in situ sound art mostly rooted in urban spaces. This art form explores architectural structures and elements, as well as urban infrastructure. In the artist's own words: "For me as a composer and artist, music is a state of mind, a way of approaching the world. It is a way of discovering the patterns and structures that exist in the found acoustic world. "(Fontana, 2005)

These creative approaches and teachings, among other emerging practices at the time, forged an innovative reflection on the relationships between sound, space, and environment. Indeed, their work is part of a broader history of sound art and music that deserves to be revisited. Following on from the first Symposium, Present Continuous Past – Archaeology of Digital Arts, which took place in March 2025, this second day aims to give a voice to those who have contributed and continue to contribute to the creation, research, and transmission of in situ sound arts.

The creation of sound works integrated into our everyday lives requires a transdisciplinary approach, and their analysis calls for a pluralistic reading of the work and the space in which it takes place. Pierre Mariétan advocates an approach to sound creation in which listening and composition feed off each other: "There is no doubt that the experiences gained from listening to the sounds of our surroundings and environment are closely linked, in a constant exchange, to the creative process. Composing is not just about producing sounds, it is also an action that structures listening, making it accessible without necessarily directing it ."(Mariétan, 2014)

According to Brandon LaBelle, the second half of the 20th century marked a turning point in the way art is understood as an ability to address the world, beyond an abstract or autonomous category. This evolution is particularly evident in site-specific and contextual practices, which directly integrate the material, spatial, informational, cultural, and sociological parameters of the location into the very conception of the work. It also involves a critique of the structures of art, its institutions, and its discourses, in favor of dematerialized forms such as events or ephemeral actions. The coincidence of these methodologies with the emergence of sound art is no accident: the shift from the object to the environment, from a single point of attention to a multiplicity of viewpoints, corresponds to the "relational, spatial, and temporal nature of sound itself ," to quote LaBelle. (LaBelle, 2006)

As for the modalities of in situ artistic intervention, Daniel Charles emphasizes that designating ordinary environments as works of art is not enough, in itself, to transform their everyday banality, if it is not accompanied by "properly operative gestures—based on phase shifts and reorganizations ."(Charles, 1998)

This position invites us to consider in situ sound practices as devices capable of transforming our perception of the environment.

Sound creations developed in conjunction with urban development or heritage site restoration projects are ideal opportunities to develop analytical methodologies focusing on the relationships between host sites, artistic installations, and development processes. Today, various initiatives aim to integrate artistic creations into urban transformation projects, notably by drawing on the democratization of digital devices and tools and their growing autonomy, whether through artistic commissions, festivals dedicated to urban art, or community initiatives.

This unprecedented experience of listening to the places we inhabit, pass through, and share collectively invites us to become aware of the transformations affecting these spaces, linked to time, social practices, the environment, and human activities.

 

We will seek to discuss the issues raised by these creative practices:

  • How can we think about the question of listening, its forms, conditions, and mediations in our everyday lives?
  • What criteria are used to choose a place for a sound work or intervention?
  • What impact can in situ sound creations have on forms of social interaction?
  • How are current digital technologies transforming creative approaches in situ?
  • What aesthetic approaches can we distinguish in the in situ creative process?
  • Does the aesthetic form of an in situ sound creation determine its ability to influence how we listen to the environment?

 

Finally, it will be essential to examine how these creations, which may relate to aesthetics, ecology, history, and social issues, either individually or collectively, can contribute to rethinking new forms of listening and awareness and suggest ways of developing our shared spaces.

Follow the event remotely