Haroun Tazieff was one of the first to develop an interest in a new branch of geology that began in the mid-20th century. With a team of specialists, he approached the interior of burning craters to observe and understand the different volcanic phenomena. During his expeditions he made a series of documentaries that recount the danger and beauty of these environments. Les rendez-vous du diable is one of his most recognized films, which bears witness to the experience lived during the trip around the world through the active volcanoes of the moment. The poet and artist Jean Cocteau called him “the poet of fire”.
Already in the 21st century, Frédéric Lavachery recovered hundreds of 16mm reels of Tazieff, completely unreleased. They had been kept in precarious conditions, and it was urgent to establish a structure that would preserve that precious witness. This is how the Haroun Tazieff Archives Workshop project was born in 2018, with the aim of safeguarding and transmitting his audiovisual heritage through the study, restoration, digitization and dissemination of the archives.
