For this generative installation, an AI has been trained to invent myths about the future of humankind, which are oralized using a synthesized voice. These narratives, which offer a sense of familiarity due to the place myths occupy in our collective unconscious, are simultaneously transcribed into prehistoric signs by a robotic stenotype. This device thus archives stories that, by their very nature, belong to the oral tradition.

The archaeostenograph operates on a rapid writing method that uses phonetics to transcribe speech sounds in real time. Here, the 36 phonemes of the French language have been replaced by the same number of Paleolithic symbols, following a grammar developed by Julie Hétu in her essay "L'écrivain préhistorique" (The Prehistoric Writer), in which she studies the recurrence of abstract motifs in cave art, which abound in most prehistoric sites and which many researchers consider to be a form of "primitive writing".

Inspired by the archetypal Rosetta Stone model used to decode hieroglyphics, this project was born of a desire, more poetic than scientific, to read or write stories in prehistoric symbols.

CONCEPTION ET RÉALISATION : Véronique Béland et Julie Hétu
PROGRAMMATION INFORMATIQUE – DEEP LEARNING : Léo Dubus
CONCEPTION MÉCATRONIQUE : Quentin Deyna

Ce projet est soutenu par le Conseil des arts du Canada

Photo credit :
Chantale Lecours

Véronique Béland

veroniquebeland.art | Instagram

Originally from Quebec, Véronique Béland is an artist and writer whose work has been presented since 2005 in international contemporary art institutions through solo and group exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Japan, and numerous European countries. At the intersection of media art and literature, she develops a practice that explores the autonomous machine as a creative entity, elusive phenomena beyond human scale, and various forms of translation between art, science, and archiving. Taking the form of installations and generative devices, her works question the boundaries between the perceptible and the imperceptible, while seeking to bring forth new forms of storytelling. She has also published several books spanning poetry, experimental fiction, and hybrid writing. Her work has received numerous distinctions, including the Prix Marguerite Moreau (2021), the World Omosiroi Award (Osaka, 2022), and the Grand Jury Prize of the Opline Prize (Paris, 2026).

Photo credit :
Justine Latour

Julie Hétu

juliehetu.com | Instagram

At the intersection of visual arts and literature, Montreal-based artist Julie Hétu has been presenting sound, visual, literary, and performance works since 1998, all influenced by her research in anthropology. She holds a Ph.D. in art, literature, and anthropology from Concordia University (CA) where she explores different forms of writing and early writing systems. She has published seven novels for adults and young adults, as well as an essay, short stories, and articles on art. She co-wrote the screenplay for her novel Pacific Bell, adapted for the screen by director Sandrine Béchade, and is currently co-writing the feature film Patof Blou, loosely based on the life of Jacques Desrosiers, which is scheduled for theatrical release in 2027. Her installation L’archéosténographea prehistoric typewriter that generates myths of the future, created in collaboration with artist Véronique Béland—was presented in 2025 at Le Cube Garges (Paris), the Grand Palais Immersif (Paris), and the Scopitone Festival (Nantes). She is also an editor at Vital Éditions.

L’archéosténographe | Véronique Béland and Julie Hétu

Vitrine exhibition

Opening

Discussion and participatory workshop

Closing events

L’archéosténographe | Véronique Béland and Julie Hétu

Véronique Béland

Julie Hétu

Contact

Newsletter