Animalia

Since 2009, the Seine-Saint-Denis County Council has been backing “la Culture et l’Art au Collège (CAC)”. This project is based to a large extent on the presence in class for several weeks (40h) of an artist or scientist whose mission is to engage the students in a process of research and creation. 

Tutors: Hélène Benoit, Ludovic Freyburger/ vets, Sarah Gammaire/ ethologist, Amélie Pichonet/ biologist

Project manager: Mathieu Marion

Objectives:
What do we call an animal? Why do we say that insects live in society? What type of relationship exists between people and animals? These questions lead into one of the most studied, most controversial and yet most fascinating questions in science: the relationship between humans and animals.

Workshops :
My pet
What relationship do we have with our pets? What do they bring us? How are they perceived? By questioning family and friends and talking to the vet, the pupils tried to show the place pets have in our society.

Working animals
One of the traditional forms of the link between man and animals is working together. Sometimes they work as a team: blind people and guide dogs, farmers and their cows. But what work do pets and farm animals do now? The classes carried out a survey for several days in a veterinary training centre.

Animals change humans
Humans have tried to learn from animals and pick up their skills. To do this, we have to understand what interests them, how they are affected, what motivates them. In this stage, the classes talked to researchers and practitioners who have learnt something from being with animals.

Exhibition: 
In June, a travelling graphic exhibition presenting a selection of the projects by each class was shown in the participating schools.

Outings (selection):
- Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle / Visit to the palaeontology and comparative anatomy gallery.
- Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle / Visit to the zoo.
- Discovery and observation of species in the regional forest of Bondy
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort/ visit to the veterinary centre at Champignelles
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort / Visit to the animal house
- Musée Fragonard/ Visit to the permanent collections 

Participating schools: 
- Class (3e) Collège Jean Jaurès, Montfermeil
- Class (6e) SEGPA Collège du Théodore Monod, Gagny
- Class (4e) SEGPA Collège Pablo-Picasso, Montfermeil
- Class (6e) Collège Paul Painlevé, Sevran