ARFI is a collective of professional musicians based in Lyon since 1977; it represents one of the successful collectives of the European jazz scene. Around the Lyon Workshop, the Marvelous Band (the original ARFI formations) and the Marmite Infernale (its large orchestra), the repertoire of the collective evolve in a vast musical sphere. From contemporary jazz to improvised music, ARFI’s music speaks many languages: it is alive, erudite and popular, traditional and contemporary, inspired, playful and performed in all kinds of circumstances.

Over the past 10 years, ARFI has given an average of more than one hundred concerts per year, in France and abroad. The collective has also been involved in several creative residencies, numerous collaborations with other artists and regular projects for amateur musicians. More than 50 records have been recorded since the creation of the collective.

One of their flagship activities is the Vidéo-mallette. Drawing on documentary and "collecting" techniques, the Vidéo-mallette (Video-kit) focuses on the live, collaborative creation of image and sound, whether through a participatory process or as part of a performance. During the workshop, participants draw, paint and arrange photographs or various found objects (a practice known as "collecting"), projecting them onto a screen and animating them in real time. These collected elements can also be used to "augment" an existing film by overlaying live images and drawings.

ARFI will reside at Bangkok 1899's Artist Residency by Creative Migration in September 2026, with programming at Bangkok 1899 and Alliance Française. This residency in collaboration with Alliance Française Bangkok.

Photo credit: © Camille Olivieri Photographe