Photo : © CNRS/David Pell
CNRS Unexpected Escapes: Awaken your senses
Science is far from dry when it involves tasting wine, analyzing music, and testing your own olfactory limits. Stop by this legendary museum to peek behind the curtain of research through interactive demos that promise to change how you perceive the everyday world.
Musée des arts et métiers (Paris 3rd)
About
Discover the science behind your senses at the CNRS Échappées inattendues, held at the Musée des arts et métiers from October 2 to 4, 2026. This free event invites you to explore taste, smell, and sound through interactive demonstrations and expert-led sessions. Whether you are interested in the chemistry of wine or the mechanics of musical instruments, these presentations offer a fascinating look at current research. Suitable for visitors aged 12 and up, the venue is fully wheelchair accessible, ensuring that everyone can participate in this sensory journey through the world of scientific discovery.
Wake up. Breathe, smell, taste, and listen. The world around you is a fascinating universe. What exactly do you perceive?
Join us at the Musée des Arts et Métiers for the Fête de la Science (Science Festival) and discover the research that sheds light on our perceptions of taste, smell, and sound through captivating demonstrative lectures.
From the mysteries of wine, champagne, and cheese to recognizing a smell or a sound, you might be surprised!
Friday, October 2nd
Micro-conference "At aperitif time", Science on Stage space
Friday, 7:15 PM, time for an aperitif? Or time to ask questions? Discover CNRS Micro-conferences
One theme, three perspectives
One event, three 10-minute mini-conferences, three points of view providing complementary insights on a single theme while cross-referencing the perspectives of researchers from different fields.
Saturday, October 3rd
Lecture-demos, Science on Stage space
Experience science yourself
Witness a scientific experiment live! While explaining their approach, scientists perform the corresponding manipulations and demonstrations right before your eyes. A foray into their daily life that unveils the behind-the-scenes of research in action.
- from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: "The secrets of olfaction, a journey to the heart of the sense of smell"
- from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM: "The physical alchemy of wine: from wine chemistry to the physics of taste"
Sunday, October 4th
Lecture-demos, Science on Stage space
- from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM: "Deconstructing musical instruments to understand them"
- from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM: "The physical alchemy of wine: from wine chemistry to the physics of taste"
Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday
Off Escapes
Science differently
No guidelines in this space, you will discover scientific research according to the organizers' imagination. Sometimes a place for meetings or experimentation, it can just as easily offer podcasts to listen to on a deckchair, exhibitions, or meetings with artists.
Free access from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, in the museum's Communication gallery (1st floor)
- Reading and listening space for the "Qu'est-ce que tu cherches" (What are you looking for) podcast
- Exhibition "Open windows on the universe"
Follow and share the event #Échappéesinattendues
This event is organized in partnership with Science & vie.
Our take on this event
Join us for a unique celebration of science organized in partnership with Science & Vie. On Friday, October 2, the event kicks off at 19:15 in the Science en scène area with a series of micro-conferences featuring three researchers sharing different perspectives on a single theme.
Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, from 11:00 to 17:00, feature interactive live demonstrations. You will have the chance to witness scientific experiments firsthand, including deep dives into the sense of smell, the physics behind the taste of wine, and the construction of musical instruments. These sessions provide an insider's view into the daily work of laboratory researchers.
Additionally, visit the « Off Échappées » space in the Communication gallery on the first floor. Open throughout the weekend, this area features an exhibition titled « Fenêtres ouvertes sur l'univers » and a listening station for the podcast « Qu'est-ce que tu cherches ». The event is designed for attendees aged 12 and older, and the entire museum space is accessible to wheelchair users.
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