Art and Science

Meet our artists in residency

  • Marine Coutelas

    OCT-DEC 2024

    « Ceramist artist, who also works across different media. At the foundation, she developed a collection of forms inspired by the coral reef world. driven by curiosity and a deep connection to the natural world, she develops her practice as a dialogue between the vegetal, animal and mineral world, exploring how matter, growth and transformation interweave. 


    «This artist residency in the heart of the lagoon allowed me to strengthen the daily connection to the ocean that I was seeking. Regular exchanges with researchers at the station enriched and nourished the foundation of the environmental awareness educational program that I am developing for young children».

  • Emmanuelle Blanc

    JAN-SEPT 2024

    Trained as an architect, she now devotes herself to photography and is a committed environmental photographer. She has developed an immersive project at the Science4Reefs Foundation, offering a vision of the reef at different scales and at different times, in order to express the complexity and richness of relationships in coral reefs.

    «Given the biodiversty, they harbor, coral reefs are comparable to terrestrial forests. they appeared on earth during the paleozoic era (primary), shortly before the giant ferns that colonized the slopes of ancient polynesian volcanoes».


  • Estelle Cruz

    AUG-OCT 2025

    Dr. Estelle Cruz, PhD in ecology from the National Museum of Natural History and trained as an architect-engineer, explores the interface between art and science as a catalyst for transforming our relationship with the living world. Through artistic residencies and postdoctoral research in ecology laboratories, her work investigates how creative and scientific practices can inspire new ways of caring for biodiversity. Deeply committed to environmental protection, she donates 50% of the proceeds from her art prints and original works to biodiversity conservation organizations.

     «By immersing myself in the daily lives of marine biologists, I was able to create several pieces that combine scientific drawings, contemporary art, and underwater sketches to illustrate the scientific and ecological challenges facing the lagoon.
    Working in collaboration with the scientists, I created a series of artworks designed to reach different audiences and shed light on various scientific issues    ».


  • Munoz Danilo

    SEPT 2025

    Danilo Munoz is a Chile-born artist who has made Tahiti his creative home. He works primarily as a cartoonist and visual commentator on polynesian society, politics and everyday life. 

    Munoz participated in the art & science workshop funded by the scintilla foundation in september 2025 at the foundation and discovered the fascinating world of coral reefs, their extraordinary biodiversity as well as the threats we face. He translated these messages of hope and despair into his signature humorous and iconic drawings.

  • Clémentine Brochet

    AUG-NOV 2025

    Audiovisual artist and researcher Clémentine Brochet is interested in the potential of art to enhance our sensory attention. Through her projects, she explores topics such as interspecies cohabitation and collective interaction as catalysts for civic engagement. She is particularly interested in the collaboration between arts and sciences in ecological conservation. Her work combines cinema, sensors, spatialised sound, photogrammetry, videogrammetry and mixed reality (VR/AR). 

    «It was a very inspiring immersion experience, meeting the aquatic inhabitants of the lagoon and learning about the restoration work carried out by the foundation's researchers» .

Photo expositions

Among our dedicated founders, Pete West, through his striking macro photographs of corals and other reef dwellers—helps spark curiosity about these organisms and promote their protection. From bold communication campaigns to artistic exhibitions, the foundation aims to reveal the world of coral reefs, from their beauty to their decline

Inmersive project

Trained as an architect, Emmanuelle Blanc is now an artistically engaged photographer advocating for the climate. Together with Dr. Laetitia Hedouin, she is developing a collaborative and immersive project focused on coral reefs. Emmanuelle offers a vision of the reef at various scales of size and time, from the immense to the microscopic, to express the richness and complexity of the relationships, both symbiotic and others, as well as the vast biodiversity surrounding corals. Her work takes on various forms, aiming to move and inspire the public. Today, the dialogue between art and science is essential to raise awareness among as many members of society as possible. It is within this approach that the two women have come together and committed themselves through the foundation.

Workshops & Encounters

The foundation's mission is to ensure that scientific knowledge about coral reefs, as well as the actions initiated and supported by the foundation, are understood and shared by all. By intersecting the fields of science, art, education, and communication, the foundation prioritizes the creation of bold messages, tools, and works to disseminate scientific knowledge—with the goal of sparking curiosity, discovery, and reflection.

Are you a photographer?

IRCP x Science4Reefs Photo Competitio

For the fourth year in a row, we are organizing an underwater photo contest to showcase the underwater beauty of French Polynesia and raise awareness about its fragility and the importance of protecting the coral reef ecosystem. Submissions must be received no later than October 15, 2024, at 12:00 PM.

Four categories are available:

  • Theme: “Eat or Be Eaten” – A set theme participants must follow.

  • Open – No theme required. Open to everyone.

  • Vahine – Same conditions as the Open category, but reserved for women. In partnership with the association Vahine Arata'i.

  • New Hope – Same conditions as the Open category, but reserved for participants under 25.

Submission link: http://www.ircp.pf/millimages-des-recifs-2024/