Project promoting ‘living in harmony with the sea’
A HUGE arts project uniting artists, students, writers, creators and marine biologists is taking place today to educate people on the hidden pollution of our seas.
The day-long celebration, Octopus Story, coincides with today’sWorldOceansDayatSt Mary’s Church in Fratton.
The exhibition includes workshops, a sea shanty performance, live poetry and art from creators across the city.
It comes following a £50,000 funding boost from Arts Council England and hopes to create ‘bigger and better’ project platforms for creators to showcase their works across the city including more immersive audience experiences.
World Oceans Day is celebrated to inform people on theimpacthumanactionscan have on the ocean.
Organiser, Roy Hanney, said: ‘I'm really excited that we're focusing what we're doingontheenvironmentandin particular our city and our relationship with the sea.
‘The funding will help develop the audience experiences but also to give us the opportunity to do something like this.
‘Over the last five or six years we've been building our collective, building our network and getting more experience.Whatwewanttodoasa groupofartistsandcreativesis toputonlargescaleimmersive theatre,immersiveexperiences in the city, really spectacular, wow-factor events.
‘The funding will help develop the audience experiences but also to give us the opportunity to do something like this.
‘This is our biggest project yet and it's going to be quite spectacular.’
The Octopus Story exhibition goes live at St Mary’s at 1pm and features a giant octopus and fantastical sea creatures hanging above the ground.
‘It’s as if they’re floating in the sea,’ explained Roy. ‘It’s an imaginedworldofstrangeand bizarre creatures that might have emerged from a sea polluted by plastic.
‘We need to change our attitudes. We need to be living in harmony with the sea, not destroying it.’
Createdbyartistsandlocal children, all the works focus on the sea pollution people can’t see – noise, microplastics and chemicals.
The workshops run between 4pm and 6pm and includeactivitiesfromHampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and postgraduate marineresearchersfromUniversity of Portsmouth.
The evening kicks off at 7pm with dance from Kings Youth Theatre.
It also features Becci Louise, the author of Octopus Medicine, the book that inspired Octopus Story.
Stacey Tonkin of Bristol Aquarium will tell ‘incredible’ experiences of caring for a Giant Pacific Octopus, there will be sea shanties from The Powder Monkeys, local writers performing poetry ocean tales, as well as several short films.
MattWingett,54,anauthor performing at St Mary’s, said: ‘Octopus Story is one of a seriesofamazingeventsrunning until November. The talent in Portsmouth is extraordinary.
‘As an island Portsmouth will be badly hit by rising sea levels and marine pollution. Octopus Story will be a great event to capture the imaginations of all generations.’
All events from Octopus Story are free to attend.