Two days of discussions with the artists involved in the S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence project
20 April, 2026
S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence is a project supported by the European Commission that uses art as a space for research and the reinvention of technologies. It critically explores artificial intelligence from Afro-European perspectives, supporting practices that bring together ancestral knowledge, local cultures and digital tools to challenge dominant narratives and propose locally rooted alternatives.
As part of this initiative, CHRONIQUES supports four artists in residence and fosters spaces for reflection and dialogue, helping to foster new forms of collaboration between artists, researchers and cultural practitioners from Africa and Europe.
Thursday 21 May, 6pm to 9pm
Citadelle de Marseille
Conference
Somewhere other than here. What the algorithm doesn’t remember
Somewhere other than here. What the algorithm doesn’t remember is a reflection at the intersection of art, memory and emerging technologies, presented as part of the 2026 Mediterranean Season and the S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence programme. Bringing together Khanya Mthethwa, Tamer Elshabrawy and Chipo Mapondera, this event invites us to reflect on what becomes of memory when the tools designed to preserve it are built elsewhere, by others, and according to someone else’s conception of what is worth preserving.
Through jewellery – living archives of Nubian memory – sound – the psychogeography of a Mediterranean city – and a ritual AI system trained on Tunisian knowledge of water and oral histories, this exploration connects different geographies and artistic practices around a shared urgency: to question what we remember, what is lost, and who decides. At a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping cultural narratives, the event invites the public to reflect on the preservation of ancestral knowledge, cultural heritage and Afro-European imaginaries.
Conference in English
Speakers: Chipo Mapondera – Khanya Mthethwa – Tamer Elshabrawy
Moderator: Aymen Gharbi (INTERFERENCE)
Free, open to all (booking required)
Friday 22 May, 9am to 5pm
Iméra
TELEMMe Study Day
Connected Imaginaries: Art, Digital Technology and Networks in the Contemporary Mediterranean
The Mediterranean, as a crossroads of exchange, has always been a region of great cultural richness. Today, in the digital age, technologies and network dynamics are transforming the creation, dissemination and reception of contemporary art produced in the region. This study day aims to explore how digital tools and practices are shaping new artistic narratives and new imaginaries, facilitating unprecedented collaborations and questioning the local realities specific to the various territories of the Mediterranean basin.
By bringing together researchers, artists, cultural practitioners and digital specialists, the aim is to highlight the creative ecosystems currently taking shape, the novel partnerships emerging thanks to connected technologies, and the way in which these dynamics are reshaping cultural exchanges in the region.
Discussions in French
Free, open to all (booking required)
One-day seminar organised by
• Jean-Paul Fourmentraux — University Professor, Norbert Elias Centre
• Mathilde Nourisson-Moncey — Assistant Professor, TELEMMe Laboratory
In partnership with CHRONIQUES
