Sea Life Centre & Cine City

The oldest operating aquarium in the world, Brighton’s Sea Life Centre, opens its doors for free with a special programme of events.

The aquarium’s usual submarine attractions are augmented by a talk from marine conservation expert Keith Bennett and  two events from CINECITY.

Sub-marine cinema – The surreal underwater films of Jean Painlevé

Before Jacques Cousteau and David Attenborough there was Jean Painlevé, the French marine biologist and pioneering film-maker who made over 200 films with his partner, Genevieve Hamon, many exploring the weird and wonderful life of the deep. Merging science and art, they revealed the hidden poetry of nature’s underwater utopia in a series of surreal films.

An instinctive anarchist and close friend of director Jean Vigo, Jean Painlevé was also drawn to surrealism and worked with Man Ray among others. Screening includes one of his most famous films THE SEAHORSE (L’Hippocampe) 1933 – presented here with a soundtrack recorded in 2001 by US art-rock band Yo La Tengo.

Prince Peter Kropotkin

Sea Life Brighton played a small but intriguing role in the development of the theory of anarchism. Prince Peter Kropotkin, born in Russia, was exiled in Brighton for a time (he is named on Brighton & Hove bus number 49). A regular visitor to the Aquarium he was inspired to write Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (1902) after studying the behaviour of the crabs and turtles.

The writer and publisher Stuart Christie will unveil a temporary plaque to this idealist and visionary. 

Keith Bennett (Marine Conservation Society)

Keith Bennett talks about the damage being done to our seas, shores and wildlife, and how we can help to protect them.

Keith will speak for 15 minutes at 20.30 and 23.30.