The artist Gzilépoc was in Perpignan for the opening of “Palais Petit”
On Wednesday, September 11, the Faculty of Education at the Perpignan campus hosted the opening of “Petit palais,” a work by visual artist Gzilépoc. This “archisculpture”—a fusion of sculpture and architecture—was created using reclaimed wood and co-designed with the students.
Gzilépoc, an artist like no other
Since January 2024, visual artist Gzilépoc has been in residence at the Faculty of Education—Perpignan campus—to create and install a piece in the campus’s outdoor spaces. His artist name refers to the xylocopa, better known as the “carpenter bee,” which nests in dead wood, and to the acronym “poc,” meaning “little” in Catalan. For him, it is a way of connecting with a place and a culture and bearing witness to the stories from which these pieces of wood originate.
“Everything that makes up the architectural environment in which students learn has no connection to any tangible experience of reality. By getting their hands dirty, they reclaim this aspect of reality, experience it firsthand—the experience of building—and thereby immerse themselves deeply in their newly transformed environment,”says artist Gzilépoc.
"Palais petit," a collaborative and participatory project
Installed on campus, this artwork is the result of close collaboration with students throughout the various stages of design and construction. This “archisculpture,” named Palais Petit, served as the basis for workshops on visual experimentation, with the students’ contributions incorporated directly into the structure of the artwork. Inspired by the reflections of Nicolas Bourriaud (French exhibition curator, art historian, novelist, and art critic) on “relational aesthetics,” Palais Petit aims to connect its users both in the present moment and across future generations of students who will follow.
The Challenges of an Artist-in-Residence Program at a University
The artist-in-residence program is a public policy initiative made possible through interdepartmental partnerships. It serves both to support contemporary artistic creation and to contribute to students’ well-rounded education. It encourages openness, discovery, reflection, and inquiry through the arts and culture. It offers insights for better understanding the world today and contributes to the success and fulfillment of students and staff by valuing and promoting their amateur artistic practices. It invites everyone to reflect on their own perceptions, while fostering aesthetic experiences and creating spaces conducive to exchange and debate.
