Climate change spleen between art and science

We really see the effect of these glaciers melting, which is getting bigger, we see the impact on the animals and we have a little bit of a gloomsays Réjean Tremblay, professor of environmental physiology and aquaculture at the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR).

This feeling gave its name to the exhibition arctic blueswhich brings together the work of French and Quebec artists who bear witness in their own way to what is currently happening in one of the regions most affected by climate change.

Together with the laboratory It is betterwhich focuses on the study of marine ecosystems, a team ofRimouski Institute of Marine SciencesI know–University of Quebec in RimouskiQatar Year after year he travels to northern Greenland, in the high arctic strip. Regine Tremblay, who runs this lab, is one of those who has been observing first-hand the implications of climate change for animal lives.

Since 2013, the laboratory It is better It developed an artistic component in parallel with scientific research by opening its various missions in this field to volunteer artists.

On board the Amundsen, the ISMER team is collecting marine sediments (archives).

Photo: Courtesy of Jean Carlos Montero Serrano

For Mr Tremblay, the artists’ contribution can allow the public to absorb and be more aware of these upheavals observed in the North, and beyond. somewhat abstract things Like Values, standard deviations, and means manipulated by researchers.

« We are rather a Cartesian: we may not necessarily have the right way to present things to the audience to touch or move. »

The image was taken in Daneborg, Greenland, as part of the Bebest mission, August 2014.

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Photo: Jan Gomi/Magnum Images

Over the years, during missions that could last up to three weeks, artists were able to directly participate in team assignments in the field, thus drawing inspiration from the work done as well as from the lavish arctic landscapes.

Thus all the works of these artists were combined and are now the subject of an exhibition led by Emmanuel Hasquet in France.

After Brest and Rain, a team came It is better Hard work on exhibition migration arctic blues In Quebec, whether in the capital or in one of the high places for research in oceanography, namely in Rimouski.

In collaboration with Eric Barrett