Exploring Greenland with Paul-Emile Victor – An immersive experience

A leading figure in French polar exploration, Paul-Emile Victor left behind a considerable body of work, drawing on his expeditions, his writings and his pioneering perspective on nature. Among the major milestones of his life, his expeditions to East Greenland (1934–1937) hold a pivotal place. The last of these, marked by an eighteen-month overwintering, was one of the most formative experiences of his career as an explorer and as a man. 

This final expedition encapsulates everything that defines the life of an adventurer: the unexpected, dangers, wonders, encounters, and even a love story with the young Doumidia. His long months spent living amongst an Inuit family form the foundation of his entire body of work. Paul Émile Victor shared the daily life of his hosts in a way no Westerner had done before him: as a hunter and fisherman, facing the cold, hunger, polar bears, storms and the pack ice. Season after season, this young ethnologist from the Jura region was transformed until, in his own words, he became ‘an Eskimo amongst the Eskimos’. 

Armed with these experiences, Paul Émile Victor — now nicknamed ‘Wittou’ by his companions — set about spending the winter there. It is here that the crux of the matter unfolds: an intimate encounter with another civilisation, seen through the eyes of an idealistic young man, eager to understand and share the life of an Inuit family in order to fully practise his profession as an ethnologist. 

‘Wittou’ is set against the backdrop of this pivotal period, the culmination of two preparatory expeditions. The first (1934–1935) was a learning experience: discovering the settled Inuit, the first forays onto the pack ice, moments of wonder, mistakes, a deep friendship with Kristian, and a fateful encounter with Doumidia, who opened the doors to Inuit culture for him. The second, a crossing of the ice cap from west to east, was an extreme physical and mental challenge, sealing the promise to return to Doumidia’s homeland. 

This immersion in a world still untouched resonates today with contemporary concerns: melting ice, global warming, and the fragility of polar environments. Long before these issues came to the fore, Paul Émile Victor had grasped their significance, shaped by his childhood spent in close contact with nature and by his experience up close with icebergs. 

“Wittou, at the heart of seal culture” is an immersive experience presented in a self-contained box featuring 360° projection onto all four walls and an interactive floor, accompanied by spatialised sound. The entire project was developed in collaboration with Paul-Émile Victor’s heirs, to ensure respect for his legacy, his image, his words and his memory. 

Duration: 10 mins.  

A film written by Stéphane Dugast, directed by Dimitri Sourzac 

Production: Les Gens Bien Productions & Le Fonds de Dotation Paul-Émile Victor 

You can purchase a standalone ticket for the immersive experience or a package ticket including the visit of the museum as well :

• Standalone ticket (immersive experience only) : 8€ / Book your ticket
• Package ticket (immersive experience + visit of the museum) : 20€ / Book your ticket