Colloquium 2026
Island Ambiances : For an experiential and sensorial approach to spaces
Introduction
Beyond visible landscapes and material infrastructure, islands are lived and perceived through their ambiances—the textures of light, wind, humidity, sound, temperature, and seasonal variations that form the experiential fabric of island built environments. These sensitive and experiential qualities influence how communities inhabit space, remember place, and imagine the future, yet they remain underexplored within local research frameworks.
Over the past decade, the field of ambiances has largely been shaped by tourism-driven agendas, often influenced by European perspectives. The definition of ambiance tends to be ambivalent and is often referred to as a feeling, but the French pioneer of the notion of ambiance, Jean-François Augoyard¹, highlighted that ambiance is a creative and dynamic process that embraces science and technology, everyday usage, and the input of art. By attending to the sensory, affective, and climatic dimensions of island life, we open new pathways for interdisciplinary inquiry at the intersection of geography, architecture, environmental humanities, and community-based research.
Building on our previous colloquia on water-related issues and coastal transitions, this third edition of the CEDTI Colloquium turns its attention to the ambiances that mediate the relationship between land, sea, and human experience through the built environment. As climate crises intensify, coastlines erode, and communities face environmental instability, the relationship between people and their territories is increasingly marked by uncertainty and rapid change. In this context, ambiances become a relevant lens for observing, understanding, and supporting these transformations—what is at stake in adaptation and resilience, but also in cultural continuity and ways of inhabiting a place. The Island Ambiances colloquium invites participants to explore how sensory, spatial, and technological approaches can help us understand and support societies through these transformations. It aims to cultivate a shared vocabulary and interdisciplinary dialogue around the island ambiances, opening new possibilities for research, design, and community engagement across island regions.
Colloquium Themes
1. Sensorial architectures & spatial experience
This theme explores how architectural forms, materials, and spatial configurations interact with wind, light, humidity, sound, and temperature to create distinct island ambiances. It invites discussion of vernacular strategies for comfort, microclimates, and the design of spaces responsive to atmospheric conditions. The focus is on architecture as both a sensor and generator of ambiances.
2. Digital sensing & environmental visualization
This theme examines the role of digital tools in capturing atmospheric data. In the digital age, atmospheric phenomena can be represented through digital twins, environmental modeling, and creative data visualization, also enabling the projection of future ambiances.
3. Geo-sensitive approaches to island ambiances
In the social sciences, and particularly in geography, the question of ambiances occupies a growing place in the analysis of the construction of the world, landscapes, and objects. The value of turning to emotions, the sensory realm, and a polysensory approach to grasp anthropized or natural spaces differently, as well as the engagement of the body as a constitutive medium of the experience of the world, form fruitful entry points for understanding the making of territories. To inhabit a place, and especially an island, is just as much to transform it as to be transformed by it, in a process that is at once emotional and phenomenological. Thus, apprehending ambiances—through the sounds, lights, colors, forms, and materialities of island places—constitutes another way of understanding the relationship between humans and their environment.
4. Knowledge and Skills on Island Ambiances
This track highlights academic, community-based, and participatory approaches to ambiances. It positions communities as holders of experiential archives and emphasizes collaborative methodologies that bridge science, culture, and lived experience. It raises questions about the specific competencies needed to develop, master, and study the ambiances of tomorrow.
5. Arts & Island Ambiances
The arts are privileged revealers of ambiances—whether through studying or practicing them. The colloquium therefore invites researchers focusing on artistic forms whose works capture, transform, or invent ambiances, along with artistic or project-based approaches that explore these dimensions of space through creation.
Programme
Location: Mauritius, (Venue to be confirmed)
Dates: 17 to 19 November 2026
Day 1: Keynote Speech, Research Presentations & Official Colloquium Ceremony
Day 2: Research Presentations & Immersive Visit
Day 3: Participative Workshops
Target audience
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Researchers, professionals, doctoral students, academics and representatives in urban planning, geography, architecture, arts, social science & civil engineering.
Languages
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English or French
Submission deadline
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April 24, 2026
Chronology of the colloquium
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Call for long abstracts (500 words max, MS Word Format): March 13, 2026
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Abstract submission closes: April 24, 2026
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Abstract acceptance results : May 14, 2026
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Submission of presentation papers: June 30, 2026
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Notification of acceptance of articles: July 30, 2026
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Colloquium: November 17 to 19, 2026
Organising Committee
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Dr. Claudia Enrech, Télécom SudParis
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Dr. Faten Hussein, ENAU & CRENAU, Tunisia
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Prof. Laurent Lescop, CRENAU, France
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Prof. Mahfoud Tahlaïti, ICAM, France
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Prof. Nathalie Bernardie-Tahir, GEOLAB, France
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Dr. Pascal Joanne, Acoustics, CRENAU France
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Assoc. Prof. Yann Rocher, CRENAU, France
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Mr. Divakar Moodhoo, CEDTI
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Ms Oumerah Hyderkhan, CEDTI
Reading Committee
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Dr. Claudia Enrech, Télécom SudParis
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Dr. Faten Hussein, ENAU & CRENAU, Tunisia
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Prof. Laurent Lescop, CRENAU, France
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Prof. Mahfoud Tahlaïti, ICAM, France
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Prof. Nathalie Bernardie-Tahir, GEOLAB, France
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Dr. Pascal Joanne, Acoustics, CRENAU France
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Assoc. Prof. Yann Rocher, CRENAU, France
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Dr. Maryam Siddiq, University of Engineering & Technology Lahore, Pakistan
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Dr. Louisette Fanjasoa Rasoloniaina, Laboratoire EVCAU, ENSA Paris Val de Seine Paris, France
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Dr. Pedro Manuel Sobral-Pombo, Islands and Small States Institute, University of Malta, Malta
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Dr. Elisabeth Sommerlad, Geographisches Institut, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
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Prof. Salim Elwazani, Department of Architecture & Environmental Design, Bowling Green State University, USA
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Mr. Youssouf Aboulhouda, RecruLink, Québec, Canada
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Dr. Sapna Nundloll, Place & Movement Consultancy, Mauritius
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Dr. Ke Bo Izac Tsai, AA Visiting School Urbanity From The Ocean Programme, United Kingdom
Registration Fees
With research funding and grants becoming increasingly scarce across island regions, CEDTI is introducing a registration fee this year to support the development of a sustainable financial model. The registration fees for the three‑day event are outlined below after abstract acceptance. All abstract submissions are free of charge.
For in‑person participants—both presenters and attendees—the fee includes access to all sessions, conference materials, breakfast and coffee breaks, the official Colloquium Soirée, and networking activities. The online registration fee applies to international presenters and attendees, providing livestream access and digital materials. A special reduced rate is also offered to Master’s students, reflecting our commitment to encouraging youth participation and fostering the next generation of researchers.
Categories
Local International
8,000 MUR 150 EUR
Standard Presenter
Online Presenter
Student Presenter
N/A 100 EUR
5,000 MUR 95 EUR
Auditor - 3 day Pass
2,000 MUR 40 EUR
Student Auditor - 3 day Pass
1,500 MUR 30 EUR
Contact
For any questions about the submission, registration fees or for single-day pass, please contact
Dr. F. Jahangeer or D. Moodhoo : submissions@cedti.net
¹Jean-François Augoyard, "Pour une esthétique d'ambiance", Ambiances [online], Rediscovering, published online October 13, 2020, accessed October 15, 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ambiances/3136 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ambiances.3136
Call for Artistic Proposal
Context
The "Island Ambiances" colloquium brings together researchers working on the sensory and experiential dimensions of island spaces. For two editions now, we have linked artistic creation with academic reflection – through dance, digital imagery and performance (Frères Joseph, Stephen Bongarçon's company, Yuri Bordelais), through film (Patrice Canabady, Sarah Ather Khan), and through poetry (Zainab Soyfoo). This year, we wish to broaden these collaborations by inviting artists from all disciplines to invest in the colloquium.
Five Entry Points for Creation
Proposals may draw on one or more of the following themes, freely interpreted:
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Sensitive architectures and spatial experiences
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Digital sensing and environmental visualisation
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Geo-sensitive approaches to island ambiances
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Knowledge and skills relating to island ambiances
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The arts and island ambiances
Possible Participation Formats
Depending on practices and preferences, proposals may fit into one of these formats:
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Exhibition (3 days: 17–19 November) – Display of works (painting, sculpture, installation, photography, etc.) throughout the colloquium. Offers visibility to an international audience of researchers, professionals and the curious. Sales possible. Format envisaged: one artist or a collective of 5 to 10 artists, maximum 10 works in total, maximum 2 works per artist. Indicative dimensions: 1 m × 0.60 m × 0.60 m (adaptable).
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Performance / show (evening of 17 November) – Stage intervention (dance, music, theatre, performance) during a highlight of the colloquium (official evening). A budget envelope is foreseen for artists.
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Participatory workshop (max. 3 hours – 19 November) – Facilitation of a sensory or creative experimentation session with colloquium participants, as part of the day dedicated to workshops.
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Screening / film (max. 1 hour – 18 November) – Screening of documentary, experimental or fiction films related to island ambiances, with or without a meeting with the filmmakers.
Participation Conditions
Conditions vary according to format:
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Exhibition: Participation is based primarily on the visibility offered by the colloquium (programme, communication, audience presence). Logistics to be discussed case by case.
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Performance: A flat fee is foreseen; technical requirements (sound, light, space) will be adapted to the project.
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Workshop: A contribution towards facilitation costs is envisaged.
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Screening: Rights and conditions to be negotiated depending on the works.
The colloquium team remains open to any original proposal and will work with artists to implement them as far as possible.
How to Submit a Artistic Proposal
Interested artists are invited to send their submissions before 1 May 2026 to submissions@cedti.net, with the subject line "Artistic proposal – Island Ambiances".
The submission must include:
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A one-page statement of intent describing the project, the format envisaged, duration, technical requirements, and the link to the colloquium theme.
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A brief portfolio or links to previous work.
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A short biography.
Timeline
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Proposal deadline: 1 May 2026
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Notification to selected artists: 15 May 2026
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Colloquium: 17–19 November 2026
No Registration Fees for Artists