Highlighting the technical professions at the heart of research
On Friday morning, February 20th, the exhibition “In the Shadow of Gestures – Bodies and Knowledge” was inaugurated on the railings of the Darcy Garden, Place Darcy in Dijon. Freely accessible to the public until March 23rd, this photographic exhibition offers a sensitive and engaging glimpse behind the scenes of scientific research.
Through a series of portraits and scenes of work, the exhibition pays tribute to those we rarely see: laboratory technicians. Their precise, patient, and expert gestures are at the heart of scientific activity, essential to the design, fabrication, experimentation, adjustment, and repair of research equipment.
To promote essential, often invisible skills
The exhibition showcases demanding professional practices, the result of highly specialized technical skills and expertise acquired over many years. It highlights how these professions are a fundamental link in research, transforming scientific ideas and hypotheses into concrete realities.
This initiative is fully aligned with a desire to recognize and promote technical professions, by showcasing rare skills essential to the smooth operation of laboratories, but still too often unknown to the general public.
A source of pride for the ICB laboratory and the Mechanical Resources Centre
This exhibition holds particular significance for the ICB Laboratory, and more specifically for its Mechanical Resource Center (CRM), which is part of the ARCEN-Carnot platform. Colleagues from the workshops, CNRS technicians and engineers, research and training assistant engineers and technicians from the University of Burgundy Europe, are showcased through their daily professional work.
Their work, often carried out behind the scenes, is nevertheless crucial to the success of the scientific projects conducted within the laboratory.
An inauguration attended by institutional stakeholders
The inauguration took place in the presence of Christine Martin, Deputy Mayor for Culture, Events, and Festivals, and Tadeusz Sliwa, Vice-President of the University of Burgundy Europe, representing Vincent Thomas.
Also present were Marie-Laure Baudement, Baptiste Cottard from the Scientific Culture Mission, and Vincent Arbelet, the exhibition’s photographer, whose sensitive eye highlights the human and technical dimensions of the professions represented..
Practical information
📍 Exhibition “In the Shadow of Gestures – Bodies and Knowledge”
📅 Until March 23, 2026
📌 Darcy Garden Gates – Place Darcy, Dijon
👀 Free admission
