Saturday 18 April, 10:00

The Symphony of Trees

Free

An exploratory walking workshop that invites participants to listen creatively to the hidden sounds of trees, soils and grass. The session introduces the unconventional instrument Subterraneum and guides attendees to record vibrant environmental noises, compare recordings, and practice describing and naming what they hear. Participants experiment with attentive listening, field recording techniques and collaborative sound-making, developing skills in sonic observation and ecological awareness.

In French.

Rue SILLEM 2,
1207 Genève

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Photo Credit: 123rf

28 January – 23 December

Create Your Own Rousseau-Style Herbarium

Lectures & Workshops

Jardin botanique

This workshop explores the traditional process of assembling a herbarium specimen, inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s collections. Participants learn scientific techniques for pressing and mounting dried plants on old paper, practice botanical labelling and nomenclature, and select specimens to create a personal herbarium sheet. The session examines preservation methods, identification principles and the historical context of Rousseau’s approach, combining practical skills with scientific insight to produce a lasting botanical object.

In French.

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Wednesday 4 March, 18:30

When Seeds Become Profit: Who Feeds the World?

Lectures & Workshops

Using excerpts from the documentary The Last Seed (Andrea Gama, 2023), this projection and roundtable examines the privatization of seeds and its consequences for biodiversity, public health and food sovereignty. It investigates how patents and corporate control undermine farmers’ seed systems and amplify economic inequalities, and highlights struggles by African peasant communities to preserve seed diversity. The discussion crosses local and international perspectives to reveal threats to the right to food and the solidarities needed to protect agricultural commons.

In French.

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28 January – 23 December

Our Biodiversity: Memory game

Lectures & Workshops

Jardin botanique

This interactive memory challenge invites participants to test their memory while exploring practical ways to preserve biodiversity based on Geneva’s municipal strategy. Players match “before-and-after” images that illustrate individual and institutional actions, and each correct pair reveals concise information explaining the measure. The activity examines themes such as habitat restoration, species-friendly practices, urban greening and policy responses, helping participants understand the impact and rationale behind everyday and organisational conservation choices.

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Wednesday 4 March, 14:00

Female style citizen science: The Adventure of the Drawings of the Flore des Dames de Genève

Art & Exhibits Lectures & Workshops

Jardin botanique

Discover the Flore des Dames de Genève, an early 19th-century collective masterpiece that brings together science, art, and society. In 1813, to preserve and study botanical drawings from Mexico loaned to Augustin-Pyramus de Candolle, nearly a thousand copies were made by hand in just eight days, mostly by women from Geneva’s high society. This guided visit showcases both the original drawings and their precious copies, preserving an exceptional scientific and artistic heritage.

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Wednesday 4 March, 17:30

Meeting and Book Signing with Lana Calzolari

Lectures & Workshops

Payot Rive Gauche

Author Lana Calzolari appears for a conversation and signing, introduced by Sandrine Bourgeois, president of the Festival du LÀC. The event offers an opportunity to hear Calzolari discuss her books, her creative approach and the themes that shape her work, followed by a signing session and audience exchange. Attendees will gain insight into the author’s practice and the context of the presented works.

In French.

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8 October 2025 – 3 June 2026

A Look at the Classics

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Pierre Béguin leads monthly discussions on classic literature, linking timeless texts to today’s world through lively, open conversation.

Upcoming themes:

Fall 2025: Master–servant dynamics in theatre and novels (17th–19th c.)
Dec 2025: Romantic encounters in 19th-century French fiction
Spring 2026: Latin American authors (Sábato, Amado, Vargas Llosa)

First session readings:

Don Juan (Molière)
The Game of Love and Chance, The Island of Slaves (Marivaux)
The Marriage of Figaro (Beaumarchais)

Pierre Béguin taught literature for nearly 30 years at Collège Calvin in Geneva. Born in Geneva, he holds a degree in literature and a postgraduate diploma in psycholinguistics. A passionate traveler, he has devoted the past two decades primarily to writing. He is the author of around ten novels, including Terre de personne (Prix Schiller 2005), Vous ne connaîtrez ni le jour ni l’heure (Prix Chronos selection, 2013), Condamné au bénéfice du doute (Prix Edouard Rod 2016), and La scandaleuse Madame B. (2020). His most recent novel, Au nom du feu (2022), was shortlisted for the RTS Listeners’ Prize, the Lettres Frontière Prize, and the Rambert Prize.

In French.

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The Symphony of Trees