The latest ocean science shows that we are actually heading towards a fairly dystopian ocean future. In the last few years, the west Antarctic ice sheet has cracked, the Arctic is melting at un unprecedented pace, the oceans have lost more than 2% of their oxygen in the last 50 years and 7% by 2100. Micro plastics have become a major area of concern and are moving through marine food chains…. persistent organic pollutants are being found in deep sea organisms at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. BUT! All hope is not yet lost. The UN Oceans conference, kicking off June 5, is a chance to start our move away from the ‘Rime of the last Fisherman’ and towards something else, a different future narrative where the oceans are not just: 'oily, hot, acidic, and full of dead fish'.
The Radical Ocean Futures #ArtScience project is founded on the belief that sometimes science fiction might succeed where scientific papers fall short. It blends art, science and music and merges scientific fact with creative speculation. The heart of the project is four short 'Radical Ocean Futures.' These are scientifically grounded narratives of potential future oceans. Each narrative is supported by both a visual and a musical interpretation to allow multiple entry points and stimulate the imagination. The purpose of this project is to explore tools that can help us to think creatively and imaginatively about our future oceans and assess how unexpected changes, along with human responses to those changes, may play out in a complex world that is, at its heart, surprising. Want to learn more? Head to http://ift.tt/2s4D5JW (this website will be available from the 1st of June).
Dr. Andrew Merrie:
After receiving his PhD in Sustainability Science in April 2016 at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Andrew has now joined the communications team at the centre working on science communications and science-policy work. Andrew’s PHD thesis was entitled; Global Ocean Futures – Governance of marine fisheries in the Anthropocene. Andrew started the Radical Ocean Futures out of his PhD and this project was featured online in WIRED.
Simon Stålenhag:
Simon Stålenhag is a world renowned Swedish concept artist and illustrator. His work has been featured in; The Verge, Gizmodo, Booooooom.com and The Huffington Post among others. He has also successfully kickstarted collections of his work and has a number of exciting new projects in development. He is currently working on his third book. Simon collaborated with Andrew on the Radical Ocean Futures Project.
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