On 30 November, the Swiss Polar Class Festival embarked around 500 visitors on a journey of discovery of polar regions for the second year running. This year’s novelty was the inaugural day dedicated to primary schools.
Nine classes from Valais contributed to the content of the festival with their creations on various polar topics on 29 November. They had the opportunity to hang their works on the festival walls and be the first to experience the festival with various workshops and by talking to scientists currently stationed in Antarctica during a live video call.
The science corner provided a variety of educational exhibits designed by ICE Group from University of Lausanne and 3G Group from University of Zurich. These installations helped young festivalgoers to understand the dynamics of glaciers, the complexity of ice, their impact on the planet and the challenges associated with natural hazards.
The arts exhibition area encouraged visitors to look up and dive into the ocean – ghost net sculptures of marine animals from the Fondation Opale collection were invitations to reflect on the preservation of oceans. Underneath the floating sculptures, the visitors could follow the Vendée Globe race and learn more about the data collection campaign.
The ‘Solutions Salon’ in collaboration with Médiathèque Valais offered a space for collective reflection on positive impact we can all have in our world of tomorrow. Finally, the library, the storyteller’s tent and the puppet show offered a poetic experience of polar regions. The two live conferences with Antarctica helped raise awareness on the variety of professions that are needed to run a station on the 7th continent.
The festival ended with a screening of the documentary Sumé. The Sound of a Revolution at the Ferme-Asile, the cultural centre and art gallery in Sion.
Valuable support from the Canton of Valais, the Energypolis Campus, EPFL Valais Wallis, and Loterie Romande as well as a close collaboration with Médiathèque Valais, Fondation Opale, ICE Group (UNIL) & 3G Group (UZH), Neumayer Station, Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station, Dumont d’Urville Station, Ferme-Asile, and Ánorâk Film Greenland made this second edition possible.
We thank all the partners and participants and invite you to prolong the experience by discovering the highlights on the festival webpage.