Frontier – Exhibition at the City of Science and Industry
Society Exhibition, Research
April 14, 2026 - January 2, 2028
"The grass is always greener on the other side," but first you have to be able to get over the fence. Concrete walls, military checkpoints, surveillance algorithms: borders have a thousand faces, and none of them are truly alike. The exhibition "Frontier" (April 14, 2026 to January 2, 2028), at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, invites you to explore this concept through a journey around the world, from the line drawn on a map to realities shaped by political choices and power dynamics.
In an international context marked by the resurgence of protectionist rhetoric and tensions between states, borders occupy a central place in our understanding of the world. But what do they truly represent? Are they merely lines drawn on a map?
With this new exhibition at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (City of Science and Industry), of which the Université Grenoble Alpes is a scientific partner, visitors are invited to take a broader perspective. Here, there is no direct debate on current conflicts, but rather a clear objective: to provide insights, deconstruct preconceived notions, and refine our understanding of a concept as familiar as it is complex. For borders are anything but natural. They are the product of political decisions, power dynamics, and sometimes violent histories. They can be, by turns, places of passage, spaces of control, zones of tension, or territories of cooperation. Through concrete examples, the exhibition reveals the full diversity of these realities: from the dramatic border between Mexico and the United States to the invisible boundaries of cyberspace, by way of maritime borders and demilitarized zones.
Throughout the exhibition, maps, photographs, analyses, and artworks intersect to multiply perspectives. Geographers, researchers, artists, and citizens each contribute their viewpoints, revealing the richness and complexity of this still largely overlooked subject of study.
Published on March 31, 2026 Updated on April 1, 2026
Location
City of Science and Industry, 30 avenue Corentin Cariou 75019 Paris, France
Practical information
Accessible from age 12, trilingual and open to all audiences. “Frontier” is part of Universcience’s “Societyscience” program, which examines major contemporary changes.
UGA, scientific partner of the exhibition
The University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA) is a scientific partner of the Frontière exhibition through its Pacte laboratory, a joint research unit in social sciences supported by UGA, the CNRS, and the associated Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA. Within this laboratory, lecturers and researchers Anne-Laure Amilhat Szary, professor at UGA, and Cristina Del Biaggio, geographer and senior lecturer at UGA, actively participate in research on borders.
The Pacte teams draw on recognized interdisciplinary expertise regarding contemporary transformations in our societies, particularly concerning borders, considered in their political, social, and environmental dimensions. By highlighting geography, scientific research, and the lived realities of crossing borders, UGA and Pacte invite the public to shift their perspective, sharpen their critical thinking, and examine the challenges of equity in a globalized world.
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