CLAM-EU is a participatory art–science initiative developed in the Thau Lagoon, on the French Mediterranean coast. In response to the decline of the European clam (Ruditapes decussatus) and its socio-economic consequences for small-scale fisheries, the project brings together fishers, citizens, students, artists, scientists and stakeholders.
The project combines a participatory Careshell scientific experiment, testing the effect of this process developed in Japan on the recruitment and growth of the European clam and exploring a potential restoration tool, with participatory artistic workshops in music and pictural art. Participants will translate ecological knowledge, local experience and perceptions of lagoon change into co-created musical and pictorial works.
Through musical improvisation using a prepared piano, voices and shell-based percussion, the ecological rhythms and transformations of the lagoon will be translated into a shared sonic experience, inviting participants to listen, respond and connect emotionally with the lagoon’s changing dynamics.
Through a process of deconstruction and recomposition, the transformations of the lagoon will be translated into a collective pictorial work, where science, territory and artistic sensitivity meet to support reflection, dialogue and action towards the restoration of the lagoon
The project will culminate in a public scientific conference, concert and exhibition in Sète, followed by presentation at the PartArt4OW Demo Days in Barcelona.
CLAM-EU aims to make ecological and socio-economic challenges more visible and accessible, stimulate dialogue across sectors, to support collective mobilisation for lagoon restoration and blue economy, and develop a transferable art–science methodology for other European lagoons.
Lead Partner: University of Montpellier
Other Partners: Stéphanie Elbaz – pianist
Françoise Dagorn – painter
Franck Lagarde – researcher, Ifremer
Bastien Mérigot – associate professor, University of Montpellier
Jean-Marie Ricard – head of the Prud’homie of Sète–Thau Lagoon / small-scale fishery
Béatrice Pary and Romain Pete – stakeholders, Syndicat Mixte du Bassin de Thau,
Stéphane Petit and Clément Calmette – teachers, Maritime High School of Sète