WE ARE OCEAN: An Artistic Contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)

WE ARE OCEAN is an interdisciplinary project created by ARTPORT_making waves, curated by Anne-Marie Melster, which gathers artists, students, scientists, policy makers, art collectors, teachers, and curators in order to raise awareness and engage in dialogue about the environmental condition of the ocean and the role humans play in its current and future state. The project will be an official artistic contribution to the Preparatory Phase of the UN Decade for Ocean Science and Sustainable Development in Germany.

ARTPORT_making waves will bring IOC-UNESCO, IASS Potsdam, the Alfred-Wegener-Institut and many scientific stakeholders together with school students and artists, art philanthropists and politicians to discuss real change regarding the health of our oceans, the most  important source of life in our planet.

You will be able to explore different narratives and action initiatives about our bodies of water through participatory workshops, panels, film and sound. It hopes to incite the formation of a movement within civil society that focuses on regional, bottom-up initiatives which emphasize the role of the citizen as a powerful actor and shaper of governance. This will be done through different mediums and locations - Berlin, Venice, and Marseille, three cities with very different relationships to water. WE ARE OCEAN is designed with different citizen experiences in mind:

•   Art-science workshops led by the artists Lisa Rave (Berlin), John Palmesino (Venice), Marc Johnson (Marseille) in cooperation with scientists and teachers for schools in Berlin, Venice and Marseille which will then lead to interactive interventions and performances in public space, where students, audience and workshop leaders interact, and will finally be presented in local exhibition spaces.
• a curated film and sound art program
• an interactive and participatory panel discussions with dynamic formats
• social media and podcast campaigns linking all three cities

WE ARE OCEAN is a year-long endeavour. First stop? Berlin.
 
August-September 2019: 
Where:
Montessori School Niederbarnim (Brandenburg)
Barbara-Zürner-Oberschule Velten (Brandenburg)
Schule am Berlinickeplatz, Berlin
What: School workshops with artist Lisa Rave and scientist Oscar Schmidt as well as the curators Julia Moritz and Anne-Marie Melster

30 September 2019, 6-8 pm:
Where: Marine Regions Forum, Vienna House Andel’s Hotel, Berlin 
What: Interactive Intervention with schools on ocean health and citizen action & Curated film screenings by ARTPORT, and Lisa Rave's WIR SIND MEER BERLIN
(closed event, press accreditation with Sabine.Letz@iass-potsdam.de)

01 October 2019 11 am-1 pm:
Where: Marine Regions Forum, Vienna House Andel’s Hotel , Berlin
What: Panel Discussion “WE ARE OCEAN: Can the arts mobilize young audiences regarding ocean conservation?” (invitation only)
With:
Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius (Director, Alfred-Wegener-Institut),
Markus Reymann (Director, TBA21-Academy),
Dr. Thierry Pérez (Labex-OT-Med/ Institut Pythéas, Marseille),
Michelle-Marie Letelier (Artist, Chile/Germany),
Lisa Rave (Artist, Germany), and students.
Moderators:
Anne-Marie Melster (ARTPORT, curator, co-moderator), and the scientist MR (IASS Potsdam)

02 October 2019, 6:30 pm–7:30 pm:
Where: Futurium Berlin (open to the public, free entrance)
What: Interactive Intervention with schools and dialogue discussions, film screenings.
With: Prof. Antje Boetius (Director, Alfred-Wegener-Institut), Dr. Lukas Köhler (Member of the German Parliament, Berlin), Markus Reymann (TBA21-Academy) and others to be announced.

31 October 2019 - 15 December:
Further events at CLB Berlin and State Studio Berlin (details to be announced)

Click here for Venice & Marseille events.

For more information about the partnership between WE ARE OCEAN and the UN Decade of Ocean Science, please contact Francesca Santoro (f.santoro@unesco.org) or Anne-Marie Melster (anne-marie.melster@artport-project.org)

For more information about the UN Decade of Ocean Science, please send an inquiry to oceandecade@unesco.org