Vue sous marine avec de la faune et de la flore variée.

Experience

The Starry Sand Beach

Saturdays and Sundays

Have you heard of foraminifera? This poetic virtual reality tale plunges you into the fascinating world of these micro-organisms, precious sentinels of our environment.

From 13€ to 16€ (combined ticket "Cabinet de Réalité Virtuelle + Grande Galerie de l’Évolution")

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Expérience VR - La plage de sable étoilé

The Starry Sand Beach is a scientific tale in virtual reality that takes us on a journey of discovery of the star-shaped foraminifera, small organisms of crucial ecological importance threatened by global warming and ocean acidification.

Foraminifera first appeared several hundred million years ago and today inhabit all marine environments. They are important bioindicators that tell us about environmental changes in their environment.

Their fossils are also part of our daily lives, making up the sand on some beaches and the limestone used in the construction of many buildings.

One of Japan's most fascinating legends

Once upon a time... In the sky over the island of Taketomi in southern Japan, the Southern Cross star met the North Star. Their children, thousands of little stars, were born in the sky and fell into the sea of Okinawa. But a sea serpent ate them all, leaving only their skeletons. These little skeletons floated in the sea before the current carried them to the shores of Taketomi. Since then, thousands of little stars have dotted the sands of Taketomi beach.

A scientific quest

Foraminifera take many forms: some are star-shaped, others amphora-shaped, ear-shaped or even strange shells.

Their calcium carbonate shells can help us date the movements of the ocean floor, going back as far as 500 million years. They can also help us study ocean acidity levels.

Image tirée de l'expérience de VR, montrant une allée de portails traditionnels japonais s'enfonçant dans l'eau, sous un ciel étoilé. — La plage de sable étoilé
© Lucid Realities

Dessins de tortue et de poissons à la manière d'ombres chinoises. — La plage de sable étoilé
© Lucid Realities

Credits

Directed by Nina Barbier and Hsin-chien Huang;
Original music: Armand Amar;
Interactive audio direction: Franck Weber;
Narrated by: Anna Flori-Lamour, Sharon Mann and Ai Yi-Liang;
Graphic design & development: Oready innovation lab;
Executive producer: Chloé Jarry (Lucid Realities);
Co-producer: Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle;
With the support of: Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Procirep (Société des Producteurs de Cinéma et de Télévision) and ANGOA.

This work has been selected for the Venice International Film Festival 2021 and Cannes XR 2022.