Marbec celebrates its 10th anniversary: art and science at the heart of the ocean
The Marbec (MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation & Conservation) laboratory, dedicated to the study of marine biodiversity and its uses, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025. To mark the occasion, Marbec is offering "Art and Science in the Heart of the Ocean", an exceptional program open to all. On the program: exhibitions of photography, painting and sculpture, as well as eight art and science evenings organized between Montpellier and Sète, bringing together scientists and artists to discuss the challenges of marine biodiversity.
An inaugural evening to launch the two-week "La MER en commun - Année de la mer" campaign
By invitation only
The festivities will kick off on Friday June 20, 2025 at 6pm, in the orangery of Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes. During this invitation-only inaugural evening, a retrospective of Marbec's 10 years of scientific advances and a projection of the next 10 years will be presented. The full program of events taking place between June 21 and July 6, 2025 in Montpellier and Sète, featuring encounters between researchers, artists and the general public, will also be unveiled.
The inauguration will be attended by François Houillier, President and CEO of Ifremer, Valérie Verdier, President and CEO of IRD, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, Laurent Barbieri, regional delegate of CNRS, Laurent Dagorn, Jean-Marc Fromentin, Patricia Cucchi and Jean-Christophe Auguet, head of UMR Marbec.
10 years of committed ocean research
Since its creation in 2015, Marbec has federated research on marine biodiversity, its conservation and its interactions with human activities. These ten years have been marked by major scientific contributions on a local, Mediterranean and international scale. Understanding marine ecosystems, analyzing the impacts of climate change, studying fishery resources and supporting sustainable management policies are all challenges taken up by Marbec teams.
Marbec: a research unit with international reach
Marbec is a Joint Research Unit (UMR 9190) under the joint supervision of the University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer and Inrae. Based mainly in Sète and Montpellier, the unit brings together over 300 scientists whose shared mission is to explore, understand and preserve marine biodiversity, in order to better reconcile environmental preservation with sustainable use of marine resources.
Highlights to celebrate marine biodiversity
From June 21 to July 6, 2025, the "Art and Science in the Heart of the Ocean" program will feature a series of eight themed evenings at the Charles Flahault Amphitheatre (Institut de Botanique, rue A. Broussonnet, Montpellier) and the Pôle Universitaire Michèle Weil (Place Victor Hugo, Sète). Each evening will bring together artists and scientists around a specific theme (plastic pollution, coral reefs, sustainable fishing, etc.). Over the course of the evenings, a wide range of artistic disciplines will be explored: theater, music, song, film, visual arts, and even a champion of eloquence with Bill François. At the same time, Marbec scientists will be presenting the results of their latest research, from DNA to large marine mammals.
This fortnight devoted to marine biodiversity, which has been awarded the "La Mer en Commun" label by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, will also take place at Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes. From Tuesday to Sunday, from 1pm to 7pm, visitors will be able to discover an exhibition of photographs taken in the field by Marbec scientists, as well as paintings and sculptures by two artists from the Académie des Arts et Sciences de la Mer, present at the Orangerie to share their vision and artistic approach.
In Sète, an exhibition of photographs by Marbec scientists on the Place Victor Hugo will extend this immersion, while spectators at the art-science evenings will be able to explore the universe of a visual artist who has worked on marine themes at the Pôle Universitaire Michèle Weil.
With this celebration, Marbec affirms more than ever its commitment to bringing science and creation together to better share the challenges of preserving the marine world with as many people as possible.
