At just 30 years old, Lola has, to say the least, an eclectic journey. She joined the first Franco-German class of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis in 1995 and began learning german from kindergarten. She continued until she received her Bachelor's degree in Franco-German law, then pursued a Master's degree in international and European law in Aix-en-Provence. She worked in several countries and traveled to more than 43 of them before returning to Strasbourg to create Octop'us, the first local NGO for ocean protection.
In 2021, she led her first artistic residency at the Hotel de la rue in Koenigshofen and then went on to join the first edition of Havre de perche, organized by the Perchépolis collective, which allowed her to unite all her causes around one goal: raising awareness about the need to preserve life in a playful and guilt-free manner.
Octop'us is the first Strasbourg-based organisation for ocean protection. It operates in three areas: raising awareness, cleaning up, and preserving aquatic ecosystems. In Strasbourg, the team aims to focus on the Rhine. In 2021, the organisation launched the "Rheinigang", derived from "reinigung," which means "cleaning" in German. Later in the year, the "dépollu'son" action project emerged. "Afterclean" events are offered in Strasbourg, bringing together several local associations and numerous volunteers eager to make parties more responsible, both for humans and the environment.
On August 23, 2024, Octop'us will celebrate its 5th anniversary. As part of this celebration, it aims to engage with the residents of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg by offering various artistic and cultural activities with educational purposes. The octolabo, officially launched in January 2024, aims to provide a space for exchange and valorization of waste and the knowledge surrounding the mystery of discarded objects that people wish to give a second life to. While some see them as waste, others see them as resources. The octolabo aims to renew imaginations by promoting collaborative efforts and do-it-yourself approaches, utilizing non-energy-consuming or low-tech machines and methods inspired by non-formal education and participatory science.
Photo©Victor Janjic
