Hôpiclowns: A Story of Encounters, released for the association’s thirtieth anniversary by éditions Slatkine. The volume sheds light on the little-known yet growing profession of hospital clowning, positioned at the intersection of art and care. Combining testimony and imagery, it examines how playful presence supports patients and caregivers and reveals the emotional and ethical dimensions of bringing humour into medical and institutional settings.
Professor Virginia Cox, a scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge, brings extensive expertise in Italian Renaissance literature. She examines Italian lyric poetry within the wider global networks of the Renaissance, exploring circulation, translation, and cross-cultural influences that reshaped poetic forms and meanings. The lecture investigates how transnational contacts informed poetic practices and critical reception, revealing new perspectives on literary exchange and cultural mobility.
In English.
This reading group will explore, in eight sessions, a selection of literary works that have “transcended the time and place of their origin,” in the spirit of Martin Bodmer’s definition of Weltliteratur — or world literature — as dear to Goethe. A literary journey across time and continents, guided by the shared affinities of the participants.
Historian of art, Hélène Leibkutsch moves between languages and cultures, driven by her passion for art, literature, and music. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Geneva, where she studied art history, general linguistics, and English, as well as a CAS in Cultural Institution Promotion from the University of Neuchâtel. With international experience in art history and the art market, she has maintained a deep interest in literature throughout her career. She served on the board of the Société de Lecture, acting as vice-president for two terms (2008–2010; 2012–2019), and chaired the Reading Commission (2010–2021), where she remains an active member.
In French.
This educational escape game explores historical botany and applied pharmacognosy through immersive problem-solving. Players investigate archival clues, chemical properties and traditional remedies to identify a medicinal plant referenced in a 1715 letter and assess its potential against malaria. The experience emphasizes observation, hypothesis testing and collaborative analysis, revealing how historical knowledge and botanical methods contribute to modern drug discovery and public health thinking.
In French.
Jakuta Alikavazovic, winner of the Prix Goncourt du premier roman, is presented by Alexandre Demidoff in an extended interview about her new book Au grand jamais (Gallimard, 2025). Her acclaimed bibliography includes Corps volatil, La blonde et le bunker, L’avancée de la nuit and Comme un ciel en nous.
The conversation examines family figures, unspoken tensions and the experience of exile, tracing continuities across her work and exploring narrative form, memory and identity.
In French.
Claire Rufenacht, dance therapist, is joined by dancer Pedro Ratto and cultural mediator Murielle Brunschwig, who offer complementary approaches to movement and cultural mediation.
These therapeutic workshops combine Argentine tango with adapted movement exercises for people with neurological conditions (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, post-stroke and other movement disorders) and their caregivers. The sessions explore balance, rhythm and social engagement, examining how dance can support mobility, communication and emotional well-being.
In French.
This workshop explores the traditional process of assembling a herbarium specimen, inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s collections. Participants learn scientific techniques for pressing and mounting dried plants on old paper, practice botanical labelling and nomenclature, and select specimens to create a personal herbarium sheet. The session examines preservation methods, identification principles and the historical context of Rousseau’s approach, combining practical skills with scientific insight to produce a lasting botanical object.
In French.
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