Prototypes: From Experimentation to Innovation—The Occitan Example

Every day except Saturday: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. July and August: 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Closed on May 1 and November 1.

Based on an original concept by the national PATSTEC network, this exhibition was co-produced by the regional PATSTEC branches at the University of Montpellier and the University of Toulouse, in partnership with the Centre for Scientific and Technical Imagination and the Musée du Saut du Tarn, with financial support from the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region.

Through a series of objects, interviews, and interactive displays, visitors are invited to reflect on the concept of prototypes. Indispensable to both minor and major discoveries, prototypes offer a behind-the-scenes look at laboratories; their history highlights not only the challenges but also the difficulties and hesitations involved. They are the result of collective endeavors, encounters, and opportunities. And prototypes sometimes leave the lab bench to dive into the corporate world. But beyond their technological dimension, prototypes are above all horizon-broaders present in multiple fields and in a wide variety of forms. Both unique and endangered, they are today a precious heritage to be preserved for future generations, lest we face an irreversible loss of knowledge.

The exhibition is accessible to people with disabilities. Guided tours for groups are available by appointment. Phone: 05 63 45 91 01.

Events for the General Public

• Wednesday, May 24 – 8:15 p.m. – All ages – Free – Public opening – Concert by Guilhem Desq.

• Thursday, May 11 – starting at 6:30 p.m. – Open to all – Free – No reservation required.
  FabLab Evening and Repair Workshop.
  Café: 6:30 p.m.: Tour of the exhibition.
  7:00 p.m.: Roundtable discussion.
  8:00 p.m.: Repair Café with a potluck buffet.
  In partnership with ACNE, the Association for Digital Culture and the Environment

• Saturday, June 3 – starting at 2 p.m. – Open to all – Meet the scientists who designed the exhibition’s prototypes – screening – Theme: Art & Science.

• Sunday, October 1 – 5:00 p.m. – All ages – Free – No reservation required – GMEA Concert – Riverrun Festival.
  The Riverrun Festival is a must-see event for musical creativity in Occitanie. See the full program at www.gmea.net.

• Tuesday, October 25 & Wednesday, October 26 – 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – reservations required – €5 per person.
  Introduction to 3D printing by the Albi FabLab.
  Wednesday, October 25 for ages 11–14.
  Thursday, October 26, for all ages.
  
  The Albi FabLab offers an introductory session to help you become familiar with these technologies, gain independence, and open yourself up to new practices… 3D printing allows you to bring some of your ideas and inventions of all kinds to life.