Marbec celebrates its 10th anniversary: art and science at the heart of the ocean
The Marbec laboratory (MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation & Conservation), 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 at the Heart of the Ocean," an exceptional program open to all. The program includes exhibitions of photographs, paintings, and sculptures, as well as eight art and science evenings organized between Montpellier and Sète, bringing together the perspectives of scientists and artists on issues related to marine biodiversity.
An opening night to kick off these two weeks labeled "La MER en commun – Year of the Sea"
By invitation only
The festivities will kick off on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 6 p.m., at the Orangery in Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes. During this invitation-only opening night, a retrospective of Marbec's 10 years of scientific advances will be presented, along with a projection of the next 10 years. The full program of events taking place between June 21 and July 6, 2025, in Montpellier and Sète, which will bring together 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, directors of UMR Marbec.
10 years of dedicated research for the ocean
Since its creation in 2015, Marbec has been coordinating research on marine biodiversity, its conservation, and its interactions with human activities. These ten years have been marked by major scientific contributions at the local, Mediterranean, and international levels. Understanding marine ecosystems, analyzing the impacts of climate change, studying fishery resources, and supporting sustainable management policies are all challenges taken up by the Marbec teams.
Marbec: a research unit with international reach
Marbec is a Joint Research Unit Research UMR 9190) under the joint supervision of the University of Montpellier, the CNRS, the IRD, Ifremer, and Inrae. Based mainly in Sète and Montpellier, the unit brings together more than 300 scientists whose shared mission is to explore, understand, and preserve marine biodiversity in order to better reconcile environmental conservation with the sustainable use of marine resources.
Highlights to celebrate marine biodiversity
From June 21 to July 6, 2025, the "Art and Science at the Heart of the Ocean" program will offer a series of eight themed evenings at the Charles Flahault Amphitheater (Institute of Botany, Rue A. Broussonnet, Montpellier) and the Michèle Weil University Center (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 variety of artistic disciplines will be explored: theater, music, song, cinema, visual arts, and even a champion of eloquence with Bill François. At the same time, scientists from Marbec will present the results of their latest research, from DNA to large marine mammals.
This fortnight dedicated to marine biodiversity, labeled "La Mer en Commun" (The Sea in Common) by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, will also take place at the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier. From Tuesday to Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., 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, who will be present at the Orangerie to share their vision and artistic approach.
In Sète, an exhibition of photographs by Marbec scientists on Place Victor Hugo will extend this immersion, while spectators at the art-science evenings will be able to explore the world of a visual artist who has worked on marine themes at the Michèle Weil University Center.
With this celebration, Marbec is reaffirming its commitment more than ever: to bring science and creativity together in order to better share the challenges of preserving the marine world with as many people as possible.
