Maison d'Ailleurs

In parallel, the museum presents from two to three temporary exhibitions per year, around the main themes of science fiction (cities of the future, space travel, lost worlds, etc.)

Five to seven members of the Foundation board are chosen by the municipality of Yverdon-les-Bains, while two others come from the association Amis de la Maison d'Ailleurs ("Friends of the House of Elsewhere").

After a lethargy period (during which the direction was held by Pascal Ducommun), the municipality of Yverdon-les-Bains decided in 1989 to install the Maison d'Ailleurs in the renovated old prison, a historical building built in 1806 and well-situated in the center of the city.

By the end of 1995, the communal council of Yverdon decided to cut more than 70% of the budget for the next year, which dramatically reduced the organizational slack of the Maison d'Ailleurs and generated a lot of negative reactions.

This Jules Verne collection contains about 20,000 documents, including rare pieces such as posters dating from the end of the nineteenth century, handwritten notes, ancient iconography linked to discovery and scientific adventure, as well as the complete collection of the Voyages Extraordinaires, owned by the granddaughter of Pierre-Jules Hetzel, Jules Verne's publisher.

The museum collaborates with the European Space Agency (ESA), the University of Lausanne, the Cité de l'Espace in Toulouse (France), the International Trade Event in Bordeaux, the "Utopiales" festival in Nantes (France), the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, and it is part of the Science et Cité network in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

Among its studies, the Maison d'Ailleurs has coordinated an important research funded by the ESA to try to find, in science fiction works, imaginary inventions related to astronautics and space conquest technologies.

The museum has also been mandated by Pro Helvetia to prepare an important itinerary exhibition project about Swiss artists working in cinema and video games.