To listen to students: aumilieudesbureauxempiles.com

Au milieu des bureaux empilés is an extensive socially engaged and dialogical art project born from a personal desire to rethink our collective evaluation of credibility in the context of the ongoing debate regarding education systems.

Offering to teach a tea workshop, I infiltrate high schools to transform a classroom into a creative intellectual space where youths are safe to reimagine the education system within one of its institutions.

ETogether, we create a non-hierarchical space where the act of speaking becomes a creative act. Most participating youths have never experienced such a space inside their school: the appreciation of their contributions allows them to familiarize themselves with the power inherent to the act of sharing their knowledge about this issue.

This project took place in Montréal, Carleton-sur-Mer (Vaste et Vague), and Lévis (Regart Art Actuel) in Canada; in Ebnat-Kappel, Wil, and Wattwil in Switzerland (Dogo Residenz für Neue Kunst); and in London UK (Centre for Creative Explorations). So far, 13 schools and over 100 students took part in the project.

Radio story by Isabelle Larose for the Au cœur du monde radio show (Radio-Canada Première)
Video interview by Hanes Sturzenegger (Dogo Residenz für Neue Kunst)
TV news story by Nadia Ross for Est-du-Québec TV News broadcast (Radio-Canada Première)
Video interview by Nancy Cormier (Vaste et Vague)
Radio interview with Kim Bergeron for Bon pied, bonne heure radio show (Radio-Canada Première)
Radio interview with Myriam Le Lan for L’aérospatial radio show (CKRL)
Radio interview with Sévia Pellissier for À l'est de vos empires radio show (CHYZ)

See the exhibition at Regart Art Actuel
See the exhibition at Dogo Residenz
See the exhibition at Vaste et Vague

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Pascal Proulx, Saavik Labarre, Laethycia Rocheleau Bisaillon, Guillaume Roussel;
Ivane Missamou, Hoor Ihumail, Florence Desjardins, Matéo Bibeau, Lili Diouf, Antoine Étienne;
Deanuja Muthukumaru, Marilou Hajj, Cosima Narthey, Valérie Bélair, Ibtihal Chaib, Nadia Sabra, Laurie Vilaire Michaud, Ruby Bonin, Gabrielle Tanguay;
Julia Thifault, Gloria Léger-Goodes;
Xavier Boudreau, Raphaëlle Thibodeau, Pierre-Thomas Boudreau, Mariloup Gaudet, Loïc Barriault, Léa Rose Bernatchez, Laura Ouellet, Juliette Leblanc, Justin Leblanc, Jérémie Boudreau, Ève Landry, Chloé Allain, Alexis Grégoire, Maggie May Matton Rivard, Alexis Bernard, Gabriel Arsenault, Camille Robineault;
Lukas Röegg, Natalija, Zerina Adjarpasic, Anna Brägger, Christine Kalt, Livio Nerling, Leona Regler;
Janine Ochserbein, Moira Ritter, Meret Leder, Tinka Lleshdedaj, Muriel Raymann, Enya Ernst, Anouk Duttweller, Sagil Amin;
Anna Sager, Noelle Keller, Nadine Jabornegg;
Rosa Richards, Iris Palmer-Thomas, Zuzanna Wysocka, Margot Henderson, Elizabeth Benett, Sienna Morris, Ava Majekodunmi, Josceline Briggs, Hannah Markowski-Dweck, Holly Fellow, Tia-Jay Robinson, Eleni Cosgrove, Micheal Kelpsa, Xin He, Yen Vu, Saffron Messam-Barnes, Noa Ekundayo, Princess Collins-Colon, and Rabtha Ahmed.
and all the young people who wished to remain anonymous;
for the incredible conversations, you enthusiam, and your involvement;

Sylvie Piché, Anne Médaille;
Julie Bernier, Marina Lynne Waite, Chantal;
Valérie Bélanger, Éric Therrien;
Marie-Josée Villeneuve Gagnon;
Geneviève Côté, Noémie Gagné, Renée Henry, Valérie Essiambre;
Martina Tobler, Lia Kraus, Astrid Bohren ;
Isabelle Fortin, Anilou Lacroix-Marcotte, Valérie Cayouette-Guilloteau, Julie Gagné, Pascale Aubin ;
for their help and their precious support;

The members of the management teams of the schools I visited, for their openness;

Thank you to Vaste et Vague Artists-run centre (Carleton-sur-Mer, CA), Dogo Residenz für Neue Kunst (Lichtensteig, Suisse), Regart Art Actuel Artists-run centre (Lévis, CA), Centre for Creative Explorations (CCE) (London, UK), and Peckham Festival (London, UK) for welcoming, supporting, and presenting the project.
Guylaine Langlois, Nancy Cormier, Edith Jolicoeur;
Amélie Laurence Fortin et Gentiane La France;
Maura Kressig ,Marcel Hörler, Sirkka Ammann et Hanes Sturzenegger;
Patricia Nadeau, Amélie Laurence Fortin, Étienne Baillargeon, Olivia Florence Clotaire et Gentiane La France;
Clare Stanhope, Josie Lee, Flora Duke et Maysoon Matthysen;
Thank you to Épices de cru for the delicious teas.

The artist acknowledges the support from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec received in 2019. Thank you to the Offices Jeunesses Internationaux du Québec for their support towards transport expenses in 2019.
The artist acknowledges the support from the Canadian Arts Council received in 2022.

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