Paris-Gonesse project N. 8 ATELIER AMBULANT
Anouk Daguin ATELIER AMBULANT
2026
Games & Participatory Workshops
Artist in Residence Anouk Daguin engaged the staff at BCF with a series of games and participatory workshops
Atelier Ambulant
From February onwards, Anouk Daguin introduced herself through a series of informal conversations across the factory. She then began offering short, flexible workshops that moved through the workspaces. Her blend of spontaneity and carefully considered communication is best captured in the message she shared with the staff, in her own words:
"Hello everyone, since the beginning of February, I've been around the company looking for your connections to the industry. You've probably already crossed paths with me, or perhaps you've answered some of my questions about joining the company or your previous roles. Currently, on Mondays and Tuesdays, I'm offering short workshops inspired by what I've gathered. These are spontaneous workshops lasting from 2 to 30 minutes. I'll also be at headquarters, where I'll be sitting by the coffee machine from 3 pm onwards, so you can come and create some small projects during your break."
On 5 May 2026, she concluded her residency in Gonesse with a presentation of the conversations and shared life stories generated through her artistic tools for encounter:
- Collaborative watercolours became the motifs of a puzzle.
- A collection of small parts was turned into a stacking game called Impezzo.
- Output Shaft portrait cards invited colleagues to guess one another and, in doing so, discover something of themselves.
- Tea towels and handkerchiefs were embroidered with quotations from the workers.
This immersive experience of exchange and co-creation was delicately woven into her family's history at the Imphy steelworks, in particular her father's career in the factory and his commitment to the union.
Anouk Daguin holds a doctorate in art and science and works with people who do not define themselves as artists. She creates situations of encounter at the crossroads of botany, the humanities and the social sciences, from which life stories emerge. Her method relies on observation and informal exchange as ways of understanding the bonds each person forms with their environment. During her residency in the Social Sensibility department, she explored the archives and emotional ties that connect workers to their industry, in dialogue with her own family history.
