The program

Permachange is a project funded by the ANR, which will run from 2026 to 2029 at three sites in Northern Europe:

• Suède arctique, Abisko
• Svalbard, Ny-Ålesund / Base de recherche arctique AWIPEV
• Groenland, Ilulissat / Patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO

It focuses on advanced modeling of the thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamics of permafrost. Permafrost is permanently frozen soil at depth, covering a quarter of the land in the Northern Hemisphere. Under the effect of global warming, it is undergoing rapid and widespread thawing, causing major impacts in the Arctic, both on the environment (e.g., water resources) and on societies (e.g., destabilization of infrastructure). These impacts of permafrost thawing are expected to generate considerable additional costs for maintaining essential human activities, potentially reaching several hundred billion euros by the end of the century. In addition, permafrost thawing is likely to trigger critical climate feedbacks. Therefore, anticipating permafrost thawing through numerical simulations is essential to ensure the resilience of Arctic environments, societies, and activities, while controlling the associated costs.

The artistic aspect

The Permachange program brings together three French laboratories: Geosciences Environment Toulouse, Process and Engineering in Mechanics and Materials, Navier, mechanics and physics for materials, structures and geomaterials. Permachange interacts with both international scientific partners and the CNEAI (French National Center for Scientific Research) as part of the development of artistic research hand in hand with scientific action.

In terms of artistic action, the idea is to create interactions between scientists and artists for the production of an artistic research project and its dissemination to the widest possible audience in 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Two awareness-raising actions are planned as part of the project:
= in 2026 and 2027, research based on reciprocity between guest artists and partner scientists
= in 2028, an exhibition of the research and artistic productions developed in connection with the scientific project.

Mobility programs are being prepared as part of Permachange. They would take place in Arctic Sweden and Ilulissat, Greenland. Ilulissat is the third largest city in the territory after Nuuk and Sisimiut, located on the west coast of Greenland in Disko Bay, with a population of 4,670 in 2020. The town of Ilulissat is known for being home to the fjord where the world’s most impressive icebergs flow into the sea. The fjord has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.

Schedule and milestones

Permachange will involve four artists throughout the duration of the project, from early 2026 to early 2030.
The first mobility phase is being prepared for summer 2026 at the Swedish Arctic site, focusing on scientific research.
A second mobility phase is being prepared for summer 2027 in Greenland, focusing on scientific production.
A mid-project highlight will take place in 2028, including a meeting with the public and an exhibition on the scientific, artistic, and cultural project at the Maison Fleuve.
A study day and project conclusion will take place in Paris in early 2030.

The artists

Dominique Blais
Nicolas Floc’h
Other artists to come…

The partners

ENSAM, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers
ENPC, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées
GET, Geoscience Environment Toulouse
Navier, mechanics and physics for materials, structure and geomaterials
Consortium of European scientists