Working together to communicate its value

A CGF UK event. 1 March 2017 at the Trinity Buoy Wharf (in collaboration with Marine CoLABoration and FoAM)

The ocean sustains life on earth – the wellbeing and prosperity of us all – but faces immediate existential threats to its health and functioning. The public remains largely unaware of this and ocean protection is a pretty low priority on national and international agendas. The issues are multi-dimensional and no one sector can address them alone. Science, conservation, policy, art, business, all are playing a role, often in new, exciting and increasingly joined-up ways. The Ocean Connects Us was a daylong event at the Trinity Buoy Wharf on the bank of the River Thames. It was a day of participatory experiences, learning and exchange – including the launch of new research from the FrameWorks Institute into how the public thinks about marine conservation – to build on what works, strengthen existing connections, seed new ones and explore possible new approaches in communicating the value of the ocean in people’s lives. -CGF UK

#Oceanvalue

Photos of the event: The Ocean Connects Us Album

The Ocean Connects Us was designed to share and learn from each other about communicating the value of the ocean. After short framing speeches by Martin Essayan and Heather Koldewey, the morning began with exchanging past experiences of valuing the ocean, to then observe what is emerging from the participants’ current collaborations. During and after lunch the participants were invited to visit the Longplayer installation in the adjacent lighthouse and have spent time immersed in artworks by Mariele Neudecker, John Wedgwood-Clarke and Rob Mackay (curated by Invisible Dust). The afternoon was focused on investigating how to more effectively communicate the value of the ocean, today and in the future. First by hearing from Moira O’Neil from the Frameworks Institute about their report Getting Below The Surface, then by applying the institute's findings as recommendations to concrete projects. The conversation moved towards the future of the sea with a short speech by Henry Green, as an introduction to the last participatory session. The participants distilled insights from the day as questions and principles towards a manifesto for an ocean friendly society. The event continued during an informal reception including speeches by the director of CGF UK Andrew Barnett and an illustrious commodore of the Trinity House. The evening concluded with an informal celebration where the participants had a chance to decompress together in an inspiring ambience.

What did you appreciate about this event? A collaborative experiment in sonic improvisation featuring all participants

Introductory remarks by:

• Louisa Hooper
• Martin Essayan
• Heather Koldewey
• Maja Kuzmanovic

Think of a situation in your life when you experienced a strong connection to the ocean. Where were you? What did you do? How did you feel? What made this situation possible? What did you value about the ocean in this situation?

What are some interesting examples of working together to communicate the value of the ocean, or more generally to improve the health of the ocean? The examples were discussed and mapped. The aim was to get a broad picture of the current situation. How do the collaborations relate to each other? What challenges, questions and hypotheses are emerging?

How do artists communicate the value of the ocean? Immersive installations by Mariele Neudecker, John Wedgwood-Clarke and Rob Mackay curated by Invisible Dust.

Getting below the surface: Mapping the gaps between expert and public understanding of the ocean and marine conservation in the United Kingdom. Research presentation by Dr Moira O’Neil of the Frameworks institute.

How to apply insights from the Frameworks research to some of the participants’ initiatives? In a collective consulting session, the participants offered a set of suggestions for the people involved, as well as recommendations that could be more widely applicable.

Introductory remarks by Henry Green, UK Government Office for Science, Foresight Projects.

In the last participatory session the participants looked towards the future. They reflected on all that they experienced at the event and discussed how their findings could inform future collaborations and lead towards an ocean friendly society.

The formal part of the event ended with a short collaborative experiment, where the participants created and improvised a short vocal composition, based on messages they’d like to take away from the event. The group was invited for an informal reception, opened by the director of CGF UK Andrew Barnett.

Event design by CGF UK and FoAM