Chroniques

What Chroniques does

Chroniques is a French non-profit cultural association (association loi 1901) operating since 2003 across Marseille (headquarters at La Friche la Belle de Mai, 41 rue Jobin) and Aix-en-Provence. It positions itself as an international platform for digital and hybrid artistic creation, anchored by the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques — a flagship biennial event held every even-numbered year across six cities in the Sud region (Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Arles, Istres, Port-de-Bouc) that attracts more than 100,000 visitors per edition. The organization is legally formed from two founding associations, Seconde Nature (Aix-en-Provence) and Zinc (Marseille), and operates with 88 employees.

The core operational platform is CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS, a biennial production support mechanism (calls, funding, residency, public presentation) working with 44 regional, national, and international partners and supporting 14 original creations in the 2024 cycle. The MÉDIALAB at Friche la Belle de Mai provides a permanent digital creation workspace offering recurring public workshops (FamilyTech for ages 7+, NumeriTech for ages 16+, Entrez-libres open house, OpenLab technical assistance) using consumer digital fabrication and immersive hardware (3D printers, Quest2/Quest3 VR, Arduino, Makey Makey, vinyl cutters). International programming includes cross-residencies with Quebec, a Mediterranean residency track, and the S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence program in partnership with organizations in Tunisia, Egypt, and South Africa.

The business model is a hybrid publicly-funded cultural organization: the primary funding base comprises subsidies from the Ministère de la Culture (Direction Générale de la Création Artistique), DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Région Sud, and the Ville de Marseille; complemented by corporate patronage through the Digital Art Club and major patron programs (grands mécènes), program fees from educational and social-sector cultural action contracts, co-financing from Creative Europe and S+T+ARTS, and ticketed/free programming around the Biennale. In 2024, the Ministère de la Culture designated Chroniques as the Pôle régional de création artistique en environnement numérique for the PACA region, formalising its role as one of five national pilot resource hubs. Additional revenue channels include consulting and training services, the Marché des Imaginaires Numériques professional event (839 participants from 40 countries in 2024), and an interactive regional Cartographie mapping digital creators in the Sud region.

Name

Chroniques

Legal name

CHRONIQUES

Website

https://chroniques.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chroniques is a French non-profit cultural association operating since 2003 across Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, organizing the biennial Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques (100,000+ visitors across six regional cities) and the CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS production platform supporting digital artists, with a permanent MÉDIALAB workshop space, international residencies, and the 2024 Ministry of Culture designation as the PACA Regional Resource Hub for digital arts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Arts and Cultural Programming

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Virtual Community Festivals & Cultural Events (Online Celebrations) (MPAGAOAK), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Digital arts biennale
• Artist residency programs
• Digital creation workshops
• Cultural arts education
• Artistic production platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Cultural Subsidies: CHRONIQUES receives institutional funding from multiple public sources: Région Sud, Ville de Marseille, DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Direction Générale de la Création Artistique du Ministère de la Culture. This forms the core operational funding.
2. Private Patronage and Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship through the Digital Art Club and grand mécène (major patron) programs.企业提供包括活动策划、工作坊、私人参观和定制合作项目在内的服务。
3. Biennale and Event Revenue: Revenue from the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques, professional events (Marché des Imaginaires Numériques), exhibition admissions, and related cultural programming.
4. Educational and Workshop Programs: Cultural action programs for schools (Une Rentrée Numérique, En Route pour la Biennale), social sector workshops, and MÉDIALAB public workshops (FamilyTech, NumeriTech, OpenLab) generate program fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CHRONIQUES is a French non-profit cultural organization that operates the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques, a biennial digital arts event across the Sud region. It runs the CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS production platform supporting artists with funding, residencies, and presentation opportunities. It operates the MÉDIALAB digital creation workspace in Marseille offering public workshops in AR, VR, 3D printing, electronics, and video game creation, alongside international residency programs, educational outreach, and the Digital Art Club corporate membership program.

Product overview

CHRONIQUES is a French cultural organization that operates as a multi-product platform centered around the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques — a flagship biennial event for digital arts held every two years across the Sud region of France. The organization functions as both a production platform and an educational hub, offering programs including CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS (a production support platform for digital and hybrid artists), the MÉDIALAB (a physical digital creation lab with workshops such as FamilyTech, NumeriTech, Entrez-libres, and OpenLab), international residency programs (France/Québec, Mediterranean, S+T+ARTS Africa), and the Digital Art Club (a business-arts community). It further organizes the Marché des Imaginaires Numériques professional event, provides consulting and expertise services, runs educational programs for schools and social organizations, and participates in European projects and professional networks. The portfolio is structured around event programming, artist support, public education, and professional networking — with technology serving as the medium of artistic creation rather than a standalone product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS: Production platform supporting artists in creating original works for the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques
• Digital Art Club
• MÉDIALAB
• Marché des Imaginaires Numériques (MIN)
• OPENLAB

Products and services

• Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques The flagship biennial event organized by CHRONIQUES, held every even-numbered year across cities in the Sud region. The event showcases digital arts through exhibitions, performances, public installations, and professional forums, attracting over 100,000 visitors per edition.
• CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS A production platform that supports artists in creating original digital and hybrid artworks. Artists selected through biennial calls for projects receive financial support, residency phases, and public presentation stages. The platform expanded from two to three categories in 2024 (all disciplines, emerging creation, and public space creation).
• MÉDIALAB A digital creation lab operated by CHRONIQUES at La Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille, offering regular workshops and open sessions in digital arts and technologies including augmented reality, 3D printing, electronics, video game creation, and digital manufacturing. It serves as the physical hub for the organization's public educational programming.
• Marché des Imaginaires Numériques (MIN) A professional event bringing together creators, researchers, entrepreneurs, cultural institutions, and technology stakeholders. The first edition featured 839 participants from 40 countries, with keynotes, round tables, masterclasses, pitch sessions, and workshops over two days at La Friche la Belle de Mai.
• Digital Art Club A community and dialogue platform connecting enterprises, artists, and technology, offering inspiring formats to nourish corporate RSE (social responsibility) strategy, stimulate innovation, and generate new ideas. Includes a Board of companies (AMO.au, Marsatwork, STid) that contribute to the club's development.
• Résidences de résidences (France/Québec) Cross-residency program between France and Quebec for curators and digital artists. The French winner resides in Quebec City for two months; the Quebec winner resides in Marseille for two months. Includes a €5,500 grant covering personal insurance, travel, living expenses, and project realization costs.
• Résidences Méditerranée Three-month residency program for emerging artists from Mediterranean countries (Morocco, Algeria, Albania, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and Palestine), hosted at La Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille. CHRONIQUES is a partner for the visual arts domain. Part of the Résidences Méditerranée program run by La Friche la Belle de Mai.
• Résidences internationales S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence International residency program in Africa (Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa) as part of the European S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence project. CHRONIQUES mentors four of ten available residencies, in partnership with B'sarya for Arts (Alexandria), Fak'ugesi (Johannesburg), and Interference (Tunis). Artists are permanent residents or nationals of African countries.
• FamilyTech Digital creation workshops open to all ages from 7 years and above, run regularly throughout the year at the MÉDIALAB. Sessions explore topics such as augmented reality, video creation, and digital manufacturing in an accessible, family-friendly format.
• NumeriTech Digital creation workshops open to everyone aged 16 and over, held regularly at the MÉDIALAB. These sessions cover more advanced digital arts topics for teen and adult participants.
• Entrez-libres Open house sessions at the MÉDIALAB with no prior registration or skill requirements, held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Participants freely discover digital cultures, explore available tools, and learn about creative practices through facilitated sessions that change weekly.
• OpenLab Technical assistance sessions at the MÉDIALAB where participants with digital projects receive support from mediators to discover and learn techniques, software, or machines. Sessions cover 3D printing, virtual reality headsets, vinyl cutting, microcontrollers (Arduino, Makey Makey), and software for sound creation, graphic design, augmented reality, 3D modeling, and video mapping.
• Consulting & Expertise Expertise and consulting services offered by the CHRONIQUES team to stakeholders in the arts and culture sector, businesses, project leaders, public institutions, and politicians. Services include training (for the Instituts Français network, Ministry of Culture agents), curating (exhibitions and festivals), consulting, jury participation, and organization of round tables and conferences.
• Une Rentrée Numérique Annual digital arts education program for school groups (from Cycle 3 to high school) in partnership with the DAAC of the Aix-Marseille Academy. Programs include 'Projeter ses rêves' (hologram technology) and 'Le jeu vidéo, c'est la vie?' (artistic and sociological exploration of video games), with productions presented at major events.
• Cultural action programs (social/medico-social field) Digital cultural activities for social and medical-social organizations in Bouches-du-Rhône. CHRONIQUES welcomes groups at the MÉDIALAB on Wednesdays and Thursdays for personalized tours or digital creation workshops, including custom-made projects co-constructed with organizations.
• European Projects (S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence, Future DiverCities) International cooperation projects co-financed by the European Union (Creative Europe), including S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence (arts, science, and technology residencies between 11 Afro-European cultural organizations) and Future DiverCities (cultural regeneration of vacant urban spaces in 9 European cities).

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Région SudcoreOthersRegional council providing core funding and institutional support for CHRONIQUES and the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques, including the CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS production platform.
• Ville de MarseillecoreOthersCity of Marseille providing municipal support and hosting the main Biennale venues including La Friche la Belle de Mai.
• DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurcoreOthersRegional directorate of the Ministry of Culture providing state funding and institutional support for digital arts programming.
• Ministère de la Culture / Direction Générale de la Création ArtistiquecoreOthersMinistry of Culture designated CHRONIQUES as the Regional Resource Hub for Artistic Creation in Digital Environments, providing national-level recognition and support.
• GMEM – Centre national de création musicalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational center for musical creation in Marseille. Partner for sound art residencies and co-productions, hosting artist residencies as part of CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS platform.
• SCENE44 / n + n corsinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization in Marseille. Co-production and residency partner for the CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS platform.
• 3 bis f – Centre d'arts contemporainscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContemporary arts center in Aix-en-Provence with national interest status. Residency and co-production partner for digital arts.
• AMI – Aide aux Musiques InnovatricessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting innovative music in Marseille. Partner for sound art and music-related digital arts projects.
• BNM – Ballet National de MarseillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Ballet of Marseille. Co-production partner for performances and installations combining dance and digital arts.
• Lab GamerzsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary artistic practices and multimedia center in Aix-en-Provence. Residency and co-production partner for video game and digital arts.
• Lieux Publics – Centre national des arts de la ruecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational center for street arts and public space. European coordination partner and co-production partner for public space installations.
• La Fruitière NumériquesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital arts center in Lourmarin. Residency partner for CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS artists.
• Centre d'arts plastiques Fernand LégersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContemporary art center in Port-de-Bouc. Residency and co-production partner for the CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS platform.
• La Friche la Belle de MaicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor cultural center in Marseille housing CHRONIQUES headquarters and the MÉDIALAB. Host venue for Biennale events and residency space.
• Productions Recto-Verso / Festival Mois MulticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization in Quebec City hosting French artists for France-Québec cross-residencies under the sponsorship of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
• B'sarya for ArtssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Alexandria, Egypt for S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence residency program. Mentors African artists in residence.
• Fak'ugesisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital arts festival and organization in Johannesburg, South Africa. Partner for S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence residency program.
• InterferencesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization in Tunis, Tunisia. Partner for S+T+ARTS Afropean Intelligence residency program mentoring African artists.
• HACNUMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network for hybrid arts and digital cultures. CHRONIQUES is co-founder. Network focuses on environmental responsibility in digital arts and professional coordination.
• Institut FrançaiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Institute facilitating international cultural exchange. 2026 Biennale is part of the Mediterranean Season organized by the Institut Français, with Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia as guests of honor.
• S+T+ARTS (Science + Technology + Arts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative supported by the European Commission using art as space for research and technology reinvention. CHRONIQUES mentors four artists in the Afropean Intelligence residency program.
• Future DiverCitiessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project reimagining cultural regeneration of vacant urban spaces in 9 European cities including Marseille. CHRONIQUES participates in this Creative Europe funded project.
• PAC – Provence Art ContemporainsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network for contemporary art in Provence. CHRONIQUES has been a member since 2018.
• ONDA – Office National de Diffusion ArtistiquesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational office for artistic distribution. Organized professional meetings on hybrid forms at the close of the 2024 Biennale.
• CN (Club Numérique)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital technology company participating in the Digital Art Club Board to strengthen innovation, art, and economy connections.
• STidsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company participating in the Digital Art Club Board for corporate engagement with digital arts.
• MarsatworksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital agency participating in the Digital Art Club Board. Contributes to corporate membership and event programming.
• AMO ausupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCompany member of the Digital Art Club Board supporting corporate engagement with CHRONIQUES programs.
• La MédNumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative for digital inclusion. CHRONIQUES is co-founder member of this SCIC (collective interest cooperative company).
• France Tiers-LieuxsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network for third-place organizations. CHRONIQUES is co-founder of the regional network and contributes to the Fabrique de Territoire label for La Belle de Mai.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• MUTEK: Montreal-based international festival for digital arts and electronic music with a strong industry and professional programming component. Comparable to MIN's positioning as a professional meeting point for digital creation, artists, and industry.
• Transmediale: Berlin-based annual festival and year-round program for art and digital culture. Overlaps with CHRONIQUES' MIN and Biennale as a forum for critical digital arts discourse, but with a more thematic/research orientation and less production-platform emphasis.

Direct peers

• Stereolux: Nantes-based digital arts center producing exhibitions, concerts, and workshops on digital creation and electronic cultures. Similar venue-based production and presentation model to CHRONIQUES' MÉDIALAB and Biennale.
• ZKM Center for Art and Media: Karlsruhe-based center for art and media combining museum, production, and research functions around digital and media arts. Comparable scale and integration of production (residencies), presentation (exhibitions), and public engagement.
• Ars Electronica: Linz-based international festival and institute for art, technology, and society. The most internationally recognized European digital arts festival, providing a benchmark for the international scope and industry positioning CHRONIQUES is building toward with MIN and its Biennales.
• Le Fresnoy - Studio National des Arts Contemporains: French national studio for contemporary arts in Tourcoing, combining visual arts, digital creation, sound, and performance in a production-and-presentation model closely aligned with CHRONIQUES' CHRONIQUES CRÉATIONS platform and Biennale format.
• Gaîté Lyrique: Paris-based cultural venue dedicated to digital arts, contemporary creation, and emerging practices. Operates a comparable program of residencies, exhibitions, workshops, and public engagement around digital creation.
• CENTQUATRE-PARIS: Major Parisian public cultural incubator hosting artist residencies, digital arts production, exhibitions, and public workshops. Comparable combination of free public programming, production support, and artist development in digital/visual arts.
• Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial: Gijón-based Spanish center for art and industrial creation combining exhibitions, residencies, and educational programming focused on digital and contemporary arts — a closely analogous European regional resource hub model.

Others

• IRCAM: Paris-based institute for acoustic/music research and creation affiliated with Centre Pompidou. Adjacent to CHRONIQUES through its role as a digital-arts-creation resource partner (GMEM partnership, sound art programming), but specialized in music/acoustics rather than the broader digital arts focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChroniquesNumeriques
• Instagraminstagram.com/chroniquesnumeriques
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biennalechroniques

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chroniques