Migratory Notes

Migratory Notes is an immersive, multisensory installation that explores Marseille’s identity as a historic port of arrival, encounter, and exchange. Drawing from the city’s long history as a cosmopolitan gateway, the work traces the intertwined journeys of people and goods – from West African plantations to the markets and kitchens of Marseille – while foregrounding the lived experiences of the African diaspora.

Combining sound, moving image, and scent, the installation invites visitors into a sensory landscape shaped by migration. Field recordings from Cameroonian farms mingle with the bustle of Marseille’s streets; the mineral smell of the Mediterranean, the earthy Sub-Saharan petrichor, and the aromas of cooking spices weave through the space. These sensory elements challenge traditional hierarchies of perception, offering a visceral way of understanding how movement, labour, and memory are carried through everyday experience. Through different narratives, the work reflects on the shifting meanings of belonging, the tensions between departure and arrival, and the cultural transformations that unfold across generations.

The exhibition was accompanied by a public dinner led by Chef Vou, a Beninois–French chef who created a menu fusing African and French flavours. Two craft beers, one brewed with uda spice (Negro pepper) and the other with uziza (Piper guineense), were developed in collaboration with Brasserie duCastellet as part of the project, extending the installation’s exploration of migration into the realm of taste.

Through this layered sensory environment, Migratory Notes invites visitors to reconsider migration not as an abstract idea but as a lived, multisensory journey.