From 23 May, the Centre de la Vieille Charité will host What the sea holds, an exhibition conceived as a collective journey along the shores of the Mediterranean. At the crossroads of archaeology, contemporary art and ecology, it explores what the sea preserves, erases and reveals.

The works of Aïcha Snoussi, Elias Kurdy, Jeff Daniel Silva and Aurélie Darbouret (MIO OSU Pythéas) engage in dialogue with objects from the collections of the Museums of Marseille, whilst inviting visitors to take part in the exhibition through participatory works and creative workshops. Together, artists and visitors bring to life stories, memories and imaginations linked to the Mediterranean, beyond its mere geographical dimension.

An invitation to listen to what the sea holds, recounts and passes on – and what we choose to take from it.

Saturday 23 May: exhibition opening from 7pm to midnight Come and see the exhibition «What the Sea Holds» A preview screening at the Centre de la Vieille Charité as part of European Museum Night, attended by the artists!

We love the sea is a sound and visual installation that invites visitors to dive beneath the surface of the Mediterranean, into the underwater world of Marseille Bay, between the Côte Bleue and La Ciotat. Beneath the Mediterranean horizon, a changing world is revealed, fragile yet resilient, untouchable and irreversibly transformed. In the depths, marine life and human presence intertwine: cargo ships rumble on the surface, cables and pipelines run along the seabed, fishing nets obstruct vast stretches of water, and strange divers strive to repair the damage. For around fifteen minutes, We love the sea takes visitors from the surface down into the dark depths and invites them to let go of their usual earthly bearings.

The images reveal contrasting environments, from industrial port areas to the more sheltered marine areas of the Calanques National Park. The soundscape is based on recordings made in the Bay of Marseille using hydrophones – microphones capable of picking up sound in water. Together, these elements allow us to see and hear the myriad human activities that take place there on a daily basis, and the traces they leave behind. We then observe how living beings cope with this presence: how they react, endure or adapt.

We love the sea offers a unique insight into this marine world, exploring how we coexist with a diverse array of other creatures. Without always realising it, how are we changing their world? This experience also prompts us to ask: who does the sea belong to, and how can we look after it?

Technical specifications: A spatialised multimedia installation comprising 5 screens and 12 speakers. 17 minutes. Audiovisual montage, maps, texts, objects.

Production: Boris Pétric, The Making of Ethnographic Writing, Raphaèle Dumas, MUJÔ, and the Museums of the City of Marseille,

In collaboration with with Pierre Léo Paul on cinematography, Pascal Catheland on editing, Julie Rousse on multichannel sound design, and curator Juliette Bessette.