ART4SEA promotes and supports interdisciplinary collaboration between artists, scientists, creative professionals and digital technology experts, focusing on engaging people to change their relationship with the ocean and take action individually and collectively.
Dive into the science behind this vital connection.”]
Melting Art, Creativity and Marine Sciences to foster Ocean Literacy in the Mediterranean area
Ocean health is an urgent issue and the focus of the United Nations’ most recent actions. ART4SEA aims to contribute to the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) combining art, creativity, science, and technology to raise public awareness toward a greater respect for the marine environment.
The project mixes and matches modes of co-production, mentoring, and in-person and distance training, striking an appropriate balance between the need to have physical interactions and the need to reduce travel that is costly in terms of carbon footprint.
Twenty-four international artists were selected through an open call and trained on ocean conservation, sustainable practices in art and digital technologies. Later in 2024, three small islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Ustica in Italy, Alonissos in Greece, and Gozo in Malta, hosted a distributed residence program, where artists drew inspiration from the beautiful natural environments, the ancient maritime traditions and the interaction with the local communities to create born-digital and physical artworks.
In 2025, the physical artworks will be integrated into the marine, natural and architectural landscapes, of Ustica, Alonissos and Gozo, thus creating open-air and underwater museums that will make the three islands a beacon for Ocean Conservation.
The born-digital and digitised physical artworks will be also showcased in a virtual exhibition – accessible both on the web and the metaverse – that will be at first housed in the three islands and in the Vision Multimedia Center in Vlora, Albania.
The ART4SEA project will conclude with a Grand Event in Ustica, during which the old part of the island will be enlivened by various performances staged with the participation of the local community.
Join this inspiring journey for spreading ocean conservation!
Meet the artists behind the Art4Sea journey: 24 unique voices who transformed research and experience into powerful works of art.
Ustica, Alonissos and Gozo are the inspiration and the starting point of the ART4SEA project. A 7-day residency program took place on these three small islands in the Mediterranean basin, where stunning natural environments, ancient maritime traditions, and meaningful exchanges with local communities nurtured the artists’ creative processes.
The physical artworks have since been integrated into the marine, natural, and architectural landscapes of the islands, shaping an open-air and underwater museum that now positions Ustica, Alonissos and Gozo as symbolic lighthouses of Ocean Conservation.
A strength of the project is the very diverse partnership. The ART4SEA consortium is made of 7 high-profile European cross-sectoral partners carefully selected for their acknowledged excellence to provide the necessary knowledge, expertise, and state-of-the-art background required to ensure the success of the project as well as the sustainability of the proposed approach and expected results. All the partners share the common interest and a consolidated experience about the sea environment with different and complementary perspectives.
