Organized by Pauline Boucharlat (ImagesPassages, Annecy) and Eugenia Reznik (GATES, MaCI, UGA)

Artists and researchers from the local and international scenes explore the migratory patterns of human populations in relation to those of plants. Whether natural or driven by human activity, plant migration shares many common challenges with human migration: adaptation to new environments, cultural and biological exchanges, and economic, ecological, and social impacts.

Through a variety of media—installations, photographs, videos, sculptures, and performances—the invited artists explore these complex dynamics. LES VOYAGEUSES thus weaves a delicate dialogue between the human and plant worlds, inviting us to rethink our connections to living things and migration through an artistic, scientific, and deeply interconnected approach.

The festival offers a program consisting of exhibitions, a study day, lectures, performances, research residencies, and numerous educational activities aimed at students, schoolchildren, and the general public.

The festival is part of the “En Résonance ” program of the 2026 Lyon Contemporary Art Biennial.

The festival takes over the UGA campuses

• October 13 at 4:30 p.m. • Traveling performance “Enveloping in the Sound of Fringes,” conceived by Eugenia Reznik and Alex Reznik
House of Creation and Innovation (MaCI) - 339 avenue Centrale, Saint-Martin-d'Hères
Drawing inspiration from the khoustka, a traditional Ukrainian shawl, this work blends sound, poetry, movement, and memory in a sensitive exploration of exile, displacement, and the reconstruction of identities.

• November 9–December 11 • “Les Voyageuses” Exhibition
House of Creation and Innovation (MaCI) - 339 Avenue Centrale, Saint-Martin-d'Hères
Joseph Fourier University Library - 1 Avenue Centrale, Saint-Martin-d'Hères
Law and Humanities University Library - 1130 Avenue Centrale, Saint-Martin-d'Hères
Medicine and Pharmacy University Library - Domaine de la Merci, La Tronche
Bringing together artists from the French and international scenes, the exhibition“Les Voyageuses” explores human migration through the lens of plant movement, acclimatization, dissemination, and the stories that accompany them. The exhibition opening will take place on November 9 at 5:00 p.m., and guided tours led by Eugenia Reznik, co-curator of the exhibition, are scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, Thursday, December 3, and Thursday, December 10, at 12:00 p.m.

• November 10, starting at 9 a.m. • Study day exploring the intersection of the arts, botany, and the humanities
House of Creation and Innovation (MaCI) - 339 avenue Centrale, Saint-Martin-d’Hères
Jardin Dominique Villars - 23 avenue des Maquis du Grésivaudan, La Tronche
Bringing together artists, researchers, and life sciences specialists, this event will explore the connections between human and plant migration, botanical knowledge, contemporary artistic practices, and current ecological challenges.

• December 1 at 1:00 p.m. • Lecture by Aline Mercan, anthropologist and ethnobotanist
Joseph Fourier University Library - 1 avenue Centrale, Saint-Martin-d'Hères
As an anthropologist and ethnobotanist, Aline Mercan explores folk knowledge related to mountain medicinal plants. A lecture focusing on oral transmission practices and their evolution in the Alpine regions.