Guided tour in the land of seaweed | Exhibition at the Tropical Aquarium of Paris
From October 5, 2021 until January 2023, seaweed has been featured in an exciting exhibition at the Aquarium Tropical in Paris.
Follow the guide and let’s discover the seabed and these little-known seaweed.
The World of Great Seaweed
If you are told that seaweed can be found in various forms, in cosmetics, health, everyday products, even in decoration or gardening, what does that inspire you?
And yes, seaweed is everywhere on your plate. And this plant is very good for health: rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber source. Seaweed is very common in the West in Asian cuisine and is less consumed in France.
But then, "What is an alga?" "How do they feed?" "How do they reproduce?" , this is what visitors will discover by browsing the exhibition Seaweed Marine.
The exhibition at the Aquarium Tropical de la Porte Dorée
This guided tour aims to show the incredible wealth of seaweed. These plants have been essential to the biodiversity of our planet for over a billion years !
A first part of the exhibition is devoted to the history of these plants. Although in the 6th century B.C. it was widely used in Asia, its use has evolved over the years. In northern Europe, it was only consumed when there was a shortage. Then in the 16th century, the French used it to make glass.
Place to the seabed through an incredible staging. Visitors discover coastal marine ecosystems through scenery and projections. They demonstrate how the large algae present on the planet are essential for maintaining biodiversity. Unfortunately, seaweed is an endangered species. This exhibition shows the extent of the actions taken to protect and better discover them.
Do you want to go further ? Discover the interview of Dominique duché, director of the Tropical Aquarium of Paris and curator of this exhibition.
Practical information
Schedules:
- Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 5:30 pm.
- Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm.
- Closed on Mondays
Prices:
- Full price: 8 €
- Reduced price: 5 €
Admission is free for those under 26.
Address:
Palais de la Porte Dorée
293 avenue Daumesnil
75012 Paris
The book that completes the exhibition
A documentary book, published by the National Museum of Natural History, completes the exhibition to learn more about laminaria. This book, "Born among the algae, a small story of octopus", was conceived as a documentary book on seaweed. An octopus takes us to discover its history and the many marine animals that accompany it. A book written by Gilberte Bourget, Line Le Gall and Emma Giuliani.
Here is the summary...
Long brown algae dance in the currents: they are laminaria. Nearby, a tiny octopus egg has just hatched… A perilous odyssey awaits the small octopus, which will cross vegetations abounding in biodiversity, laminar forest, red algae meadow and maërl field.
Seaweed has amazing properties that are very important to our ecosystem to maintain biodiversity. So to learn more about this threatened species, go to the Tropical Aquarium of Paris to discover seaweed in all their states.