Submersion: an art-science collaboration on the cryosphere and rising sea level

Submersion illuminates the future evolution of glaciers and ice sheets, whose melting significantly contributes to sea-level rise, affecting coastlines and coastal regions worldwide. This multimedia triptych, blending printed and digital imaging technologies, invites audiences to explore glacial environments, immerse themselves in potential futures shaped by sea-level rise, and understand the individual actions that most influence glacier and ice sheet melting.

Commissioned by the European research project PROTECT (Projecting Sea-Level Rise: From Ice Sheets to Local Implications), Submersion serves as a science-communication initiative to bridge research findings with public engagement. Led by the Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE-CNRS), PROTECT focuses on understanding and projecting the impacts of ice-sheet dynamics on future sea levels.

The exhibition is a collaborative production involving PROTECT, ESAD Valence, and Alizée De Pin, a graphic artist and illustrator-in-residence. The residency integrates research-creation processes. Through four workshops, students and faculty from ESAD Valence’s Graphic Design program contributed to the project, fostering innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

As part of PROTECT’s work on communication, dissemination, and research output exploitation, the project emphasizes the creation of an artwork rooted in scientific findings. Submersion aims to raise public awareness of the critical issue of cryosphere melting and sea-level rise, encouraging audiences to reflect on the environmental impacts of their actions and to envision a sustainable future.