Heritage Conversations Across France: From Paris to Fontainebleau

In what ways is the concept of conservation evolving beyond material preservation to encompass cultural, social, and experiential dimensions? Last week, our chair Noémie Étienne took part in two engaging events in France, both exploring how we think about heritage, conservation, and authenticity today.

The first stop was the Conference on the Edges of Conservation at INHA in Paris—a day full of fresh perspectives, sharp questions, and dynamic exchanges. From colonial legacies to community-based practices, the discussions challenged familiar approaches and opened space for new ways of thinking about conservation. Noémie joined a fantastic group of speakers, including Lotte Arndt, Yaëlle Biro, Delphine Burlot, Sybil Coovi, Déborad Dubald, and Emmanuelle Nsunda.

Shortly after, Noémie and our colleague Renée Riedler took part in the roundtable "Nothing Compares to You? When the Copy Replaces the Original" at the Festival of Art History 2025 in Fontainebleau. Together with Evelyne Carole Nkolo Minko’o, Narcisse Tchandeu, Pietro Fornasetti, and Yaëlle Biro, they explored how copies—digital, material, or AI-generated—can shift our understanding of what counts as “original” and why that still matters.

Organized in collaboration with the ERC GloCo project the roundtable formed part of this year’s festival theme: “The True, the False.”

Two different settings, one ongoing conversation—about how we care for, interpret, and rethink the cultural materials and immaterials that shape our world.