Exhibition - Les contours du monde

The Contours of the World exhibition brings together scientific instruments, globes and some thirty maps and plans from the collections of La Rochelle's museums of art and history to show how these documents illustrate a territory near or far, familiar or unfamiliar, and also bear witness to the evolution of our knowledge of the world.

It covers the many facets of cartography: from measurements to military strategy, from the different representations and projections of the world to the uses and utility of maps and globes...

Cartography has long been part of human history. Maps are essential tools for defining spaces, whether on land or at sea, explaining routes around the world and navigating. From simple diagrams such as ancient nautical charts or portulans, to two-dimensional drawings, maps have become increasingly complex as scientific advances have been made in topographical surveying. The terrestrial or stellar representation is sometimes three-dimensional, like globes and models. Today, they can be stored in purely digital formats.

As part of the exhibition, the 5ème C class from collège Pierre Mendès France has been working on the theme of cartography since the start of the school year, with their French teacher, Nathalie Oblin, and their art teacher, Catherine Foumental. Accompanied by visual artist Alexia Atmouni, the students imagined and wrote tales of voyages and explorations of imaginary islands, and rendered their vision using the Tetra Pack drypoint engraving process. Their work can be seen at the New World Museum.

Guided tours with Mélanie Moreau, Director of the Musée d'art et d'histoire de La Rochelle :
Sunday January 26 at 3pm
Sunday March 9 at 3pm

Lectures :
Sunday January 19 at 3pm: La Rochelle in maps by Thierry Bouyer
Sunday April 13, 3pm: L'Aunis en cartes by Thierry Bouyer

Apprentice cartographer" workshops:
During the February and Easter school vacations