KANAK, L'ART EST UNE PAROLE

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1 Press kit October 2013 ERAMET and SLN (Société Le Nickel), main patrons of the exhibition KANAK, L'ART EST UNE PAROLE at the musée du quai Branly, in Paris, from to at the Centre Culturel Tjibaou, in Nouméa, from to

2 ERAMET is a French mining and metallurgical group that bases its operations and business development on a sustainable, profitable and balanced growth strategy. The Group has close to 15,000 employees on five continents and is a global market leader in each of its business activities: nickel, manganese and specialty alloys. Founded in 1880, Société Le Nickel (SLN) is a subsidiary of the ERAMET group and the world leader in ferronickel production. SLN is a socially responsible company involved in New Caledonian society and concerned about its human and natural environments. It has the distinction of being the largest private employer in the archipelago with 2,200 employees. 2

3 ERAMET AND SLN, MAIN PATRONS OF THE KANAK, L ART EST UNE PAROLE EXHIBITION ERAMET and SLN s sponsorship: an obvious choice The ERAMET group, which places great importance on dialogue between cultures, and its subsidiary as SLN (Société Le Nickel), which has firm roots in New Caledonia, are proud to support the exhibition Kanak, l art est une parole. With a presence on the 5 continents and in more than 20 countries, the ERAMET group is firmly established in New Caledonia, with its subsidiary Société Le Nickel (SLN). It is established from the North to the South and along both East and West coasts and has been mining and beneficiating nickel there for more than 130 years. Proud of their economic, social and cultural commitments, the Group and its subsidiary, which have incorporated their understanding and respect of local cultures into their core values, wished to actively take part in this exhibition in order to encourage the discovery and sharing of the Kanak culture. This support is also a commitment in favor of New Caledonia development. For many years ERAMET and SLN have been involved in many initiatives and sponsoring actions in New Caledonia, particularly in the cultural field, for example with the Museum of New Caledonia. More recently, SLN contributed to the renovation of the Museum of Maritime History in Nouméa. For 20 years it has also organized the annual Nickels de l Initiative to support charity, cultural, community and other projects. Dual sponsorship for exposure in two exceptional locations The exhibition will open at Musée du quai Branly from October 15th, 2013 to January 26th, It will then travel to the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Nouméa from March 22nd to June 15th, ERAMET and SLN s sponsorship will support the exhibition for its entire duration in these two exceptional locations. 3

4 The KANAK, L ART EST UNE PAROLE exhibition This exhibition is the largest ever held on Kanak culture, bringing together more than 300 exceptional works and documents from public collections in Europe (Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy) and New Caledonia in a m² space. It features many previously unseen and spectacular pieces, great traditional works from the world of Kanak art: wooden carvings from the Grand Huts, jade ceremonial axes, pole sculptures and a diverse selection of statuettes and ornaments. 22 years after De jade et de nacre dedicated to Kanak culture and presented in Nouméa and in Paris by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux, the musée du quai Branly proposes an exhibition based on entirely original information and a corpus of objects not previously seen. It is also based on new data: museographical (a complete inventory of the objects in the world's public collections, carried out over 30 years of research), vernacular (the recording of immaterial Kanak culture which has been carried out over the last 10 years) and resulting from anthropological and historical data. The exhibition revisits Kanak cultural heritage through a main sequence entitled the five faces, which features Kanak speech extensively, and a parallel sequence entitled reflections, that describes the evolution of the Western view of the Kanak world through a compilation of witness accounts. Emmanuel Kasarhérou, Head of the Overseas Section at the musee du quai Branly, former Director of the Agency for the Development of the Kanak Culture and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, and Roger Boulay, ethnologist, specialist in Kanak heritage, are the two curators of the exhibition. Ceremonial flèche faîtière of great house 4

5 ERAMET, A PLAYER GROUP IN THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD TRANSFORMATION ERAMET is a French mining and metallurgical group and a world leader in its business sectors, among which alloying metals and high-quality metallurgy. Its expansion and diversification are in line with a policy of responsible, sustainable development and respect for local cultures. In addition, ERAMET has major research and development projects in new business lines with high growth potential (titanium, zircon, etc.), as well as recycling. ERAMET in figures 15,000 employees Presence in 20 countries and on the 5 continents 47 industrial sites 3.4 billion turnover 641 million industrial investments in 2012 The activity is structured around 3 divisions: Manganese: ERAMET is the world s second-largest producer of manganese alloys for steel production and the world s leading producer of manganese chemical derivatives. ERAMET s subsidiary COMILOG operates the manganese mine at Moanda in Gabon. The ore is then prepared in the metallurgical and transformed in ERAMET s metallurgical and chemical plants in France, China, Europe and United States. Nickel: ERAMET is the world s second-largest producer of ferronickel thanks to the mines and metallurgical plant of its subsidiary, SLN. A part of the nickel is then transformed in the Sandouville refinery, near Le Havre. Alloys: Through its subsidiaries Aubert & Duval and Erasteel, ERAMET develops, designs and transforms special steels and superalloys as well as aluminum and titanium alloys, particularly for the aeronautics, energy, SLN metallurgical plant (Doniambo plant) in Nouméa. transportation or health sectors. These markets require high added value metallurgical skills. 5

6 SLN, A KEY ROLE AT THE HEART OF NEW CALEDONIA Société Le Nickel (SLN) is an ERAMET Group subsidiary specializing in ferronickel production. Its activities are based in New Caledonia. This French overseas territory has a specific status. Located off the coast of Australia, almost 20,000 km from France, it has 250,000 inhabitants over an area of around 18,500 km². SLN s activities are spread over Grande Terre, New Caledonia s main island. In addition to mining operations, SLN processes nickel ore in its Doniambo metallurgical plant near Nouméa. A new electricity plant should be built soon to power the plant and give SLN an efficient, competitive and more environmentally-friendly source of energy. SLN is New Caledonia s biggest private employer with 2,200 employees, 97% of whom are New Caledonian, and generates 6,000 indirect and inferred jobs across the territory. Equipment drivers, geologists, lab workers, engineers, metallurgists, miners, maintenance workers and industrial designers are among the almost 250 professions that share SLN s specific mining and metallurgical corporate culture. Moreover, SLN is the only mining group with bases in New Caledonia that involves all 3 provinces (North, South and Islands) in its capital and governance. Through their holding company, STCPI, the provinces hold a 34% stake in SLN and own 4% of ERAMET shares. They actively contribute to the definition of the Group s strategy in New Caledonia. Implantations SLN SLN, New Caledonia s biggest contributor in terms of jobs and local economic fallout, is therefore a major metallurgical player in the territory. A driver of the local economy, SLN intends to beneficiate nickel, a natural resource, on site, and so contribute to the island s economic and human development. 6

7 NICKEL: HOW AND WHY? The general public is unfamiliar with nickel as it is rarely used pure, but mostly in an alloy with other metals. Yet the metal is essential to our daily lives. Nickel has a rich set of properties (high temperature resistance, mechanical strength, magnetic properties, etc.) and is endlessly recyclable. It is mainly used to make stainless steel in combination with chrome. The wide range of end uses cover every sector of modern life, including power generation, lifts, ramps, bodywork, tanks, taps, computers, cellphones and coins. From ore extraction to final use: the nickel cycle 7

8 a 4 5 Nickel is extracted from SLN s mining centers in New Caledonia. The ore is unloaded from the 3 ships chartered all year by SLN in the Doniambo transformation plant. There it is stored, dried, charred by smelting reduction and then processed to make ferronickel (80% of the production) and nickel matte (20% of production). Ferronickel is marketed for stainless steel production. Nickel matte is transported to the Sandouville plant, close to Le Havre (France) and transformed into high purity nickel metal and nickel salts. This unit also recovers the cobalt contained in the matte. Eurotungstène plant produces powders containing cobalt. Ferronickel Nickel matte The products made from nickel ore are sold on markets for a wide variety of end uses: Stainless steel: household appliances and equipment (sinks, pans, ovens, etc.), production tools for agriculture & food, pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment, basic industries (chemicals, paper, petrochemicals, power generation), transport (trucks, catalytic converters, bodywork, etc.) Nickel-based alloys: high-tech industries, e.g. aerospace, nuclear, oil and gas sectors Electroplating (linings & coatings) for the automotive sector, household equipment, etc. and catalysis (catalyst manufacturing). Many other markets: electronics (computers, cellphones, tablets, etc.), rechargeable nickel and Li-ion batteries (portable electronics / hybrid and electric vehicles), pigments (e.g. cobalt blue), water treatment and pharmacy. High purity nickel metal Nickel salts (anhydrous nickel chloride) Nickels salts (liquid nickel chloride) A priority in nickel mining: protecting environmental heritage SLN strives to protect the island s exceptional environmental heritage through increasingly responsible operations. It takes special care over the restoration and revegetation of its mining and industrial sites. Over the past four decades, SLN has developed innovative methods that make it a real pioneer in this field, not just in the ERAMET group but for the entire mining community. Tailings (soil excavated during mining) are stored, divided into terraces then revegetated. Novel techniques have also been implemented to manage runoff water and return clean water to the natural habitat. These constant restoration efforts help to keep sites safe, reintegrate them into the landscape, combat erosion and protect biodiversity. 8

9 Practical information Learn more by visiting: ERAMET press contact: Marion Margot, Director of Communications, ERAMET group + 33 (0) / + 33 (0) marion.margot@erametgroup.com SLN press contact: Dominique Katrawa, General Secretary, SLN d.katrawa@eramet-sln.nc Practical information about the exhibition: Musée du quai Branly , rue de l'université Paris Tel: +33 (0) Access Metro line 9, Alma Marceau station RER C, Pont de l'alma station Openings Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm Thursday to Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm. Kanak mask from New Caledonia 9