Free screening of marine doccie
JANET Solomon – a Durban artist and film-maker – will screen her movie, Becoming Visible, about the impact of noise exposure from marine surveys on sea species, at the KZNSA Gallery on Thursday, March 15, at 7pm.
Solomon, whose work examines the connection between art and environment, has been an avid campaigner to raise awareness about “Anthropocene” – an environmental buzzword for the impact human action and behaviour has on the environment.
Becoming Visible investigates the risks posed by traumatising noise exposure from marine seismic surveys to many marine species. The 33-minute film also looked at the vulnerability of fishery-based livelihoods to these impacts, Solomon said.
The documentary focuses on an oil and gas seismic survey that took place off the KZN coastline in 2016, which was extended into the whale migration season that year.
“There have been fantastic spinoffs from the making of the movie – it had two screenings at the Minding Animals Conference, in Mexico in January, where it was well received; the KZN and the East London stranding networks now liaise with each other and 10 NGOs have formed a coalition called Oceans Not Oil to lobby government about Environmental Impact Assessments not being conducted for seismic surveys.”
After the screening there will be a facilitated public Q&A featuring Solomon in conversation with senior Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife marine ecologist, Dr Jennifer Olbers.
The Gallery Café and the bar will stay open until after the Q&A. Entrance is free, and all are welcome. – Staff Reporter