May 2022…// From 4th June 2022, the new exhibition at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco offers guests an immersive experience at the heart of the Arctic and the Antarctic. Mélanie Laurent, an actress committed to action for the environment, is the ambassador of this unique two-year-long exhibition.

Interest in these lands of extremes has been enshrined in Monaco's DNA for over a century and began at the end of the 19th century with Prince Albert I, an explorer, visionary and founder of the Oceanographic Museum. It continues today with HSH Prince Albert II, the only Head of State to have rallied the two poles. 

The balance of Planet Earth is dependent on the good health of these extreme regions: a cause which has not escaped the attention of actress Mélanie Laurent, a fervent protector of the environment and ambassador of the exhibition: “Through this exhibition, each one of us is invited to become not only a privileged observer of the unbelievable beauty of the polar worlds, but also an informed witness of their great fragility. For the future of the poles is also our future and that of generations to come” she stresses. 

The “Polar Mission” exhibition offers an immersive experience into the heart of the Arctic and the Antarctic where the major issues concerning these lands of extremes, remote and yet vital for the global climate, are decrypted. It involves objects; documents and digital content side by side, with complementary immersive devices offering a 360° experience throughout the following areas:

Meet the polar explorers of yesterday and today 
Guests can be face-to-face with the great names of polar exploration such as Jean Malaurie; Jean-Louis Étienne, Frederik Paulsen as well as pioneers such as Jean-Baptiste Charcot and Matthew Henson and find out how their discoveries and their work contributed to a better knowledge of the poles. 

Discover the world of the Inuit 
In a scenography which reproduces an icy environment with its traditional igloo, the visitor will become familiar with the Inuit way of life and its traditions within an immersion through the eyes of Jean Malaurie, who has devoted his life to the peoples of the Arctic. This space also testifies to the threats caused by climate change to populations constantly shaken by modernity. 

Discover the secrets of the North Pole and the South Pole 
The challenge of this third space, situated in the Oceanomania salon, is to unlock the secrets of the North and South Poles; not only to understand how they function, but to realise the tremendous upheavals which are taking place because of climate change. It offers visitors an opportunity to become fully aware of the differences between these two extremes and the crucial role played by them in the planet's climate balance. 

Embark on a journey in immersion from the North to the South Pole 
Visitors will find themselves at the North and South Poles as if they were there physically! The wild, grandiose beauty of those icy lands comes to life in a never-before-seen immersive, interactive device in the company of bears, seals, beluga whales, whales, sea elephants, killer whales and penguins. A wonderland which culminates in the dreamlike polar aurora with the help of a “voice-off”, educates guests of the fragility of the ecosystem. 

Understanding the challenges of polar scientific research in polar regions
Three modules respectively reveal how far knowledge of global warming and its consequences has come, how it is impacting biodiversity and how it is impacting humans.

“It is my hope that the emotion aroused by the beauty of these polar regions, together with the awareness of the vital role played by them on a global scale, will lead Mankind to regard them with respect and caution, because one thing of which we are now certain is that the future of the poles foreshadows our own."- HSH Prince Albert II.

-ENDS-

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