Presentation
The Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences is working with the National Archives and Lumen to create and host an exhibition on the history of French Polar Expeditions (EPF) in Antarctica.
A place that has long been inaccessible, dedicated to scientific research.
Since the mid-20th century, French exploration in Antarctica and the establishment of the Dumont d’Urville station have enabled research on the white continent to expand, leading to discoveries that have been fundamental to understand, in particular, the history of our climate and the trend of global warming.
Antarctica is also a place where many other disciplines have flourished, such as biology, with the study of iconic birds such as the emperor penguin.
An exhibition based on a private collection
This exhibition is about the organisation of French polar expeditions and the daily life of teams in Antarctica. It was put together using documents from the Simone Weiller collection, a woman who worked behind the scenes at the French Polar Expeditions from 1947 to 1987. After the exhibition, the collection will be transferred to the National Archives. Most of the documents on display are artefacts that Simone Weiller carefully saved throughout her career and provide a fascinating insight into the history of the French Polar Expeditions.
