The Conference Dinner will take place at Lyon’s Musée des Confluences on Wednesday, July 12th from 8:00PM to 12:00AM, to celebrate all the hard work of the conference presenters and attendees. The dress code for this dinner is cocktail attire.
The Musée des Confluences’s name comes from its geographical location. Situated at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, the museum serves as a monument at the merging of two paths, symbol of unity and openness towards global perspectives. Having opened on December 20th, 2014, the museum will celebrate its ninth anniversary this year. Its architectural concept, developed by the Austrian agency Coop Himmelb(l)au, pays tribute to the idea of building a bridge between constructed elements and nature. From the outside, the museum takes the shape of a crystal cloud made of glass and stainless steel, floating in the air. Inside are the natural history and anthropology exhibits, with works of art surrounding the themes of society and civilisation. Centered around the questions pertaining to human origin and the future of diversity, the museum has put in place four permanent exhibitions in the hopes of revealing unknown ways of understanding the sheer complexity of the world. These collections pertain to history dating back five centuries. The Musée des Confluences and Sciences Po Lyon began their partnership in 2022, developing educational projects tailored towards students in master’s programs.
Along with access to the "soirée de gala" event, conference attendees who have registered for the conference dinner will have the opportunity to visit two of the Musée des Confluence’s ongoing exhibitions:
"Nous les fleuves"
Rivers are responsible for the fertilization of the land and the construction of landscapes. As vital ways of life, rivers expand civilisations and their currents are depended upon by most of the population.
This exhibition is centered around the flow of a fictional river. Canoes, aquatic animals, and legendary characters, along with art pieces and documentaries submerge us into the world of the waters.
Visitors are invited to discover its history by exploring its confluences and waves as they appear, as well as the geopolitical and ecological debates surrounding the deltas and estuaries.
https://www.museedesconfluences.fr/fr/expositions/expositions-temporaires/nous-les-fleuves
“Afrique, milles vies d’objets”
This exhibition showcases 230 objects from the private collection of Ewa and Yves Develon, which act as evidence to radical life changes through various religious and social contexts. The details of these objects indicate where they come from and the memories that they carry, along with several stages of their lives and their purposes.
https://www.museedesconfluences.fr/fr/expositions/expositions-temporaires/afrique-mille-vies-dobjets
Entertainment
This year’s conference dinner has the honor of welcoming the "Professor & Friends" group, who have played at IAMCR conferences in Braga, Montreal, Leicester, and Cartagena. Baptized by former IAMCR President Janet Wasko as the house orchestra of IAMCR, they will play in Lyon with vocalist Rebecca Lobry, pianist Jean Louis van Dam, bass player Daniel van Huffelen and drummer Ben Schroeder. The honorary IAMCR president Cees Hamelink leads the band, playing the vibrandoneon. The band will choose from its broad repertoire of the American Song Book swing, Brazilian bossa nova, Mexican bolero, film music, and French songs in Parisian jazz style. More information is available here: https://professorandfriends.nl/.
For a glimpse of Professor & Friends performing, please visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NosWxip8TvaUyXVTh6UaYvihZQT5TEG6/view.
Musée des Confluence’s Accessibility
The museum is committed to ensuring access to those with reduced mobility, providing elevators at each level and wheelchairs and walking sticks at the coat check. For those with visual impairments, guidance strips have been implemented throughout the building, and guide dogs are welcome. The museum garden is accessible via a ramp, and all audiovisuals are subtitled, with tactile objects found in specific rooms on the museum’s second level. During the dinner, adapted seating arrangements can be provided upon request.
How to get to the Musée des Confluences
The site is accessible via public transportation or by walk, depending on where you are staying or coming from. The tram line running towards the museum is the T1 towards Debourg, and the stop for the museum is Musée des Confluences.
From Rockefeller:
- Walk about 4 minutes to the metro station Grange Blanche and take the metro D line towards Gare de Vaise for 7 minutes (5 stops, 1 metro every 3-5 minutes) --> get off at Guillotière and exit the metro station, going above ground to the tram station to take the T1 line towards Debourg (1 tram every 8 minutes) --> get off at Musée des Confluences.
- You can also take 2 trams, start at the Grange Blanche tram station and take the T2 towards Hôtel Région Montrochet for 16 minutes (9 stops) --> get off at Perrache and take the T1 towards Debourg for 7 minutes (4 stops) --> get off at Musée des Confluences.
It is important to note that the gala finishes at midnight, and from 9PM on there are 4 trams per hour, the last one being at 12:30AM, with service beginning again at 4:45AM. In the case of the end of tram service, the only options for getting back to your hotel will be walking or by taxi. You may consult the tram hours here: https://www.tcl.fr/se-deplacer/horaires.
