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“Bouchons-nous pour la mer”: expo of recycled art by FANB pupils at Yacht Club de Monaco

  • 6 June 2025
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From Friday 6 June, Yacht Club de Monaco’s Sports Section is hosting an exhibition like no other. Entitled ‘Bouchons-nous pour la mer’ the artworks on display are created from recycled bottle tops by pupils at the François d’Assise Nicolas Barré middle school in Monaco. An artistic gesture at a crossroads of education and the environment.
Initiated by the school’s natural sciences teacher, Muriel Lestini, the expo is on until the YCM’s hugely popular Fête de la Mer on Saturday 21st June. It is all part of a broader educational project launched last autumn at the YCM by a group of pupils interested in environmental issues. Led by Thierry Leret from the Sports Section, the group immersed three oyster bags filled with rubbish in the YCM Marina to observe how they degraded over time. Since then, the students have been monitoring the bags on a regular basis.
At the same time they collected plastic bottle tops over a period of three months before spending two months creating, assembling and experimenting with them. The result was a series of artworks that question our relationship with waste, consumption and the sea.
The exhibition was launched alongside a major event at YCM, the christening of the research vessel Malizia Explorer, attended by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. The Sovereign had a long discussion with the pupils, attentive to their questions and approach, much to the delight of the proud children involved. Boris Herrmann, co-founder of Team Malizia, was also there and full of praise for the initiative. He was so impressed he chose one of the pieces to have on Malizia Explorer.  A powerful symbol to have on board of young people in Monaco’s commitment, as the sailboat embarks on a scientific project of international scope.
The exhibition is being launched ahead of World Oceans Day on 8th June and the United Oceans Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice 9-14 June 2025. The symbolic significance and local roots of the initiative reflects a growing global movement to raise awareness of marine issues.
By promoting the voices and creativity of young people, Yacht Club de Monaco continues its drive to help protect the oceans and pass on values to the next generation. In this case it’s education that involves observation, action and creation.
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