A free two-day forum at La Villette asks what residencies in communities are for, and registration closes 20 October

If you host artists in residence in France, or apply to residencies there, put 5 and 6 November in your diary. Ateliers Médicis, an arts centre in Clichy-sous-Bois that hosts artists in residence, is holding a free two-day forum on exactly that subject at La Villette in Paris. Registration closes on Tuesday 20 October.

The question behind it is simple. Placing artists in residence in a neighbourhood, among the people who live there, has become close to compulsory for French cultural institutions, the organisers write. So what is the artist actually there to do?

Thursday's round tables ask how a residency can build something with a territory in solidarity, and whether residencies can commit to social justice. Friday turns to careers: a study of artists placed in non-arts institutions, and what a residency does for professional recognition.

Concretely, the session to mark is Friday at 14:30: an update on the ministry's residency framework, the circular that tells its regional offices which kinds of residency to support. The programme doesn't say what will change.

It all happens in the Grande Halle, Salle Boris Vian, metro Porte de Pantin. Partners include the Onda, the national office that supports the touring of contemporary live performance. No speakers are named yet.