FAQ


What is the House of Elsewhere?

· an unique cultural institution: the only museum dedicated to science fiction, utopia and extraordinary journeys.

· the biggest European research and documentation centre for studies on science fiction, with a library containing more than 80'000 books in 40 languages, some of which are very rare, dating from 16th to the 18th century.

· founded in 1976 with the donation of author Pierre Versins' personal collection, the House of Elsewhere is run by a non-profit foundation. The City of Yverdon-les-Bains supports the Museum. Since 1991, the Museum is located in the old city jail, in front of the city's 13th century castle.

What can we see at the House of Elsewhere?

· there have been many different exhibitions in the past years dedicated to specific themes related to science fiction, such as Utopia in 1991, space travel in 2004, E.T. lifeforms in 2001, Cities of the future in 1999, science fiction illustrators in 2000, flying cars in 2005, and so on...

· other exhibitions are dedicated to famous contemporary painters, sculptors or comics authors : Caza, Siudmak, Giger, Jean Fontaine, Dave McKean and many others.

What is there specifically for children?

· children are very receptive to the Museum's exhibitions as they are produced keeping the young public in mind. Nevertheless, we encourage you to contact us if you plan to visit an exhibition with very young children.

· for teachers organising school visits to our Museum, we have educational kits for each exhibition. Please contact us so we can help you organise your visit.

Can books be borrowed?

· the Yverdon City Public Library has the Maison d'Ailleurs' collection for public loans which consists of more than 5,000 volumes.

· researchers, students, scholars, journalists, artists, ect. may access our research library on request

Science fiction, a serious topic?

· for the last two centuries, scientific and technological advances have dramatically changed our lives in many domains, such as: health, transportation, energy production, work and leisure.

· science fiction authors and artists try to anticipate changes to come in the future, both positive and negative (pollution, destructive arms).Following their intuition, they describe the dreams or nightmares of times to come, giving their work a philosophical dimension, inviting us to surpass ourselves, warning us the possibility of progress getting out of hand.

· science fiction is our present day mythology; it is a glimpse at what does not yet exist or what will exist in the future. It brings to life beings, yet undiscovered, inhabitants of distant planets, our future compatriots in the centuries to come.

· although appealing to a young audience, science fiction has very ancient roots, as seen in the utopias and extraordianry journeys from Antiquity and the Renaissance, from Homer to Cyrano de Bergerac. In its modern form, science fiction has many masterpieces, both in literature and other artistic domains. The House of Elsewhere tries to pay hommage to "the fruits of science fiction" in all creative domains.

What can you do to help the Museum ?

· The AMDA association (amis de la Maison d'Ailleurs : friends of the House of Elsewhere) helps the museum by editing newsletters and organising events and conferences. The annual charge is 30.- SFr (20.-SFr for youth and students) and provides free access to the Museum. For information on membership and/or for becoming a member, please ask at the Museum's reception desk or contact us.

· All donations of books, comics, toys, or anything related to science fiction (which the museum does not already have in its collections) are warmly welcome.

 
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