le musée
de proximité

The Musée de Proximité designed by the artist Tamaya Sapey-Triomphe and already tested in several cities (Angerville, Brussels and Caen), is an architectural and artistic installation whose challenge is to design and build an ephemeral museum. By using abandoned urban spaces, such as vacant commercial premises, and by inviting local residents to build the collection themselves by depositing all kinds of objects, images, books and documents that they consider to be works of art, this project allows us to rethink the place and the physical and psychological role of the museum in the city.

Launched in 2023 with students from the Ésad Saint-Étienne, the first phase of the project focused on surveying and staging empty storefronts in downtown Saint-Étienne. In 2024, the second phase focused on the museum’s physical production: classified ads advertising "Museum seeks works" encouraged local residents to lend objects they considered to be works of art. The collection was built gradually and unpredictably. The "Museum of Proximity" thus mobilized multiple "resources": students, local residents, as well as a large network of Saint-Étienne organizations seeking to revive downtown businesses.The Saint-Étienne "Museum of Proximity" is located at 8 Place Boivin, in the city center. Within the exhibition The Right to Dream, a kiosk functions as a relay antenna, allowing the public to obtain various information on the project and to view interviews with the various protagonists of it. Open from May 22 to June 21, 2025, Tuesday to Friday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 7 days a week – 24 hours a day through the window.