ARTEXPLORER, the first museum boat

Designing a catamaran capable of accommodating 2,000 people per day is an extremely ambitious challenge. This exceptional architectural and naval project was led by Axel de Beaufort and the architect specializing in multihulls Guillaume Verdier, surrounded by a collective of naval architects and designers. The largest catamaran in the world (46.5m long/and 55m high), built in Italy at the Admiral shipyard, mobilized innovative materials, artisans and excellent know-how for its construction. This yacht, a true work of art, designed to be a museum on the water, flies the French flag and meets ambitious environmental and technological requirements.

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A sailing catamaran, the ARTEXPLORER museum boat is equipped with solar panels to ensure part of its energy consumption.

Embassy of Arts and Education

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During its Mediterranean journey scheduled until 2025, ARTEXPLORER will visit 15 countries and make 20 stops, connecting artists, exhibition curators as well as cultural and educational organizations to imagine together a new vision of the Mediterranean.

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On board this impressive catamaran, artists stay during the crossings, and on the upper deck, visitors are invited to an experience of sound immersion and spatialization, comfortably installed in lounge chairs. This physical and emotional experience leads them to discover the Mediterranean through new soundscapes, imaginary or real. The journey imagined around the ARTEXPLORER catamaran is accompanied on the quays by a structure and cultural spaces designed by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, with a surface area of 3,000 m², dedicated to multidisciplinary exhibitions as well as a stage for shows and meetings.

A multidisciplinary festival

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It was in Marseille, the historic cradle of the history of Mare Nostrum, from antiquity to the present day, that this wonderful journey began at the end of 2023. A wide variety of artistic projects combining dance, music, conferences, films, concerts for the general public and culinary performances as well as the screening of artist films were on the program.

An eco-responsible project

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The Artexplora festival is an itinerant cultural festival offering unique cultural and artistic experiences to all audiences. This project supported by UNESCO aims to develop a large-scale dialogue around contemporary issues in the region, such as education, gender equality, intercultural dialogue, and the protection of the environment and cultural heritage. At each stage, a local curator will organize a unique and varied cultural program.

Photos: © Art Explora, Michel Planque, Wimotte and Associates Architects