The Ocean Agency, along with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Adobe, HP Inc. and other partners this week announced the official launch of the Ocean Decade Exhibition.
The global exhibition of creativity aims to raise awareness of the importance of the ocean and inspire greater ocean knowledge and conservation during the pivotal 2021-2030 “Ocean Decade.”
The exhibition kicked off this summer in the center of Paris at UNESCO headquarters. Over the course of the next months, it will then travel to other UN locations, beginning with UN Headquarters in Geneva, and major conferences and events. The artworks are also being made freely available so anyone can curate and create their own exhibitions. Micro-exhibitions are already being planned and displayed in venues ranging from schools in Paris, to universities and major aquariums across the globe.
The exhibition program, endorsed as an official activity of the Ocean Decade, was the brainchild of the nonprofit Ocean Agency – famous for taking Google Street View underwater and revealing the impacts of climate change on the ocean in the award-winning Netflix documentary “Chasing Coral.”
According to Ocean Agency Founder Richard Vevers:
“Ocean science and conservation has an image problem – people generally aren’t engaged or interested in the ocean. There is also a people problem – people supporting action are often labelled as environmentalists and are all too easily ignored. Together these circumstances have led to a chronic lack of support for ocean science and conservation. This exhibition addresses both issues, using raw creativity to inspire, educate, and motivate a mainstream audience and present that support to world leaders at decision making events and conferences.”
Content for the ongoing exhibition is being provided by the global creative community, especially young artists and designers, mobilized through a series of creative challenges in partnership with Adobe and other creative partners. A new #CreateWaves campaign was launched this week by Adobe and The Ocean Agency, allowing anyone to be part of the Ocean Decade Exhibition and have their work help raise awareness and inspire action.
Prunelle Chappert, a young French designer involved in the exhibition, said:
“I can’t believe my artwork is being used to actually create change.”
The exhibition contributes to a busy launch year for the Ocean Decade, which was officially launched on January 1st, 2021. The Ocean Decade is a UN initiative designed to raise awareness and address the chronic lack of connectivity between ocean knowledge and smart, innovative solutions to sustainable development.
Check out the #CreateWaves campaign on Twitter.
