Revue Diorama No.3: Research-Creation Residency

The residency will be dedicated to the creation of Diorama No. 3, an art and typography journal conceived as a living, collective editorial space where the book takes shape through encounters, correspondence, and events. More than just a period of production, this is a workshop for Marie-Mam Sai Bellier where theoretical research, artisanal creation (glass, stone, wood, paper), graphic and typographic design, and collective experiments intertwine to directly inform the content of the future publication. This publication is conceived as the foundation for a broader reflection on a philosophy of contemporary decorative arts that could be articulated through a more symbolic and embodied approach, drawing on non-Western references.

The project revolves around the concept of the “New Neutral”—a free-spirited attempt to redefine neutrality not as the erasure of singularities, but as a harmonious chaos. Much like lush nature, where the profusion of constantly adapting forms and species creates a balance without hierarchy or apparent uniformity, this exploration celebrates life and the coexistence of differences. In graphic design, this translates into an eclectic aesthetic, composed of multiple scripts, typefaces, voices, and ornaments that coexist without seeking to blend into a single norm. It is a new form of neutrality—pop, punk, queer, and decolonial—closely aligned with the forms of nature; a lush neutrality. This project follows an initial essay published in issue No. 2 of Bye Bye Binary (a post-binary typographic collective of which she is a member) in May 2026, co-authored with Léœ Lacape, with whom Marie-Mam Sai Bellier will continue to collaborate for Diorama No. 3.

This research, through its exploration of alternative aesthetics of the common, stands in direct opposition to the concept of “good design”: the modernist mindset inherited from the dark period of the 1930s and its dangerous quest for a sterile purity. Rather than a fixed, homogeneous system, the book’s layout will be conceived as a celebration in which typographic characters are the protagonists of a collective experience that unfolds without control. The magazine thus becomes a reflection of a generation of artists, designers, and craftspeople in motion, where apparent disorder reveals a form of harmony, and where identities are no longer neutralized.

During this three-month residency focused on the creation of Diorama No. 3, Marie-Mam Sai Bellier will transform Aperto into a vibrant hub of collective and creative inspiration. As part of her research, writing, and collaborative projects, she will invite numerous artists to join her there: Léœ Lacape, Théo Casciani, Cécile Paravina, Angels Front & Sabine Teyssonneyre, Sam Evers, Le 29 Paris (Anna Dotigny, Tom de Peyret, Lia Séval, PAM, Muriel Babandischa, Roxanne Maillet, Clara Pasteau, etc.), Bye Bye Binary, Motoki Nakatani, Quentin Saunier, Diasporama, Nissim Norré, Thomas Noël, Ludmila Armandin, Jules Durand, Abdou Rahman Njie…

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