In resonance with the Almanach exhibition, this conference aims to discover the connections that bind ceramics to the notions of sustainability, reusability, and recycling. We’ll delve into the key assets of ceramics (material qualities, enduring nature in associated uses), potential pathways to reduce its environmental impact, as well as the limitations to its reuse or recycling (energy cost of reusability, irreversible nature of clay transformation during firing, consumption habits).

Jean-Charles Hameau is a heritage curator and head of collections at the Musée national Adrien Dubouché (Limoges), where he has worked since 2014. Specializing in modern and contemporary art, he notably led the reorganization of the museum’s hall dedicated to contemporary ceramics (2018) and curated exhibitions such as ‘À table! Le repas, tout un art’ (2021), ‘Formes vivantes’ (2019), and ‘Avant, ici, Maintenant, l’expérience Non Sans Raison’ (2015).