PartArt4OW

Starting in September 2024 and running for 30 months as part of the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ and endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science, our project fosters connections between artists, scientists, local communities, and citizens to address water and ocean challenges through participatory art.
By supporting 19 diverse participatory art initiatives across Europe, we aim to inspire meaningful engagement with these pressing issues and promote solutions that can be scaled and shared.

PartArt4OW unites art, science, and civic engagement to tackle pressing ocean and water challenges across Europe. Through Participatory Art Initiatives (PAIs), we empower creative communities to develop interdisciplinary projects that enhance public awareness, build emotional connections, and inspire action for water sustainability. Supported by funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities, these initiatives showcase their work through public festivals, while our Sailing Lab travels to connect communities to these projects, fostering discovery and dialogue on ocean health.
Our toolkit collects best practices and guidance for those wanting to replicate these participatory initiatives, enabling other organizations and policy makers to address water-related issues. Additionally, our ecosystem-building activities bring together diverse stakeholders and creatives, creating a strong, collaborative network dedicated to protecting our waters for generations to come.

Art of the Dredge (Luleå, Sweden) investigates port dredging in Luleå through audiovisual work, interviews, and participatory workshops, creating collective maps and exhibitions that show its environmental and social impacts from the community’s perspective.

Kyiv Whale Eco Hub (Kyiv, Ukraine) turns an iconic sculpture into a participatory laboratory where, through workshops, citizen science, art, and environmental data, the community creates artworks and installations to make water pollution visible and educate about its protection.

Seatizen-Bio Murals (Brzeźno, Gdansk, Poland) creates collaborative murals using marine waste and sustainable materials, where neighbors, artists, and scientists work together in workshops to learn about biodiversity, pollution, and marine science through participatory art.

Tidal Orchards (Eishort Lake, Isle of Skye, Scotland) creates a community marine garden where artists, scientists, and neighbors collaborate in workshops, citizen science, and cultural practices to restore the intertidal ecosystem and promote long-term care of the sea.

Posidonia Art Reef (Bogliasco, Liguria, Italy) involves the community in the creation and installation of underwater sculptures that function as artificial reefs, combining art, citizen science, and digital technology to restore posidonia and protect marine biodiversity.

Sea of Sounds (Bodø, Norway) immerses the public in the sound world of whales through a virtual reality experience, workshops, and exhibitions where people actively participate to understand and raise awareness about marine noise pollution.

On February 19th, we held the first DemoDays of the PartArt4OW project at the Fundación Épica headquarters — a landmark event where the projects selected in the first call presented their results to the public.

During the DemoDays, each participating project had its own space to:
– Present their approach, processes and outcomes to the audience.
– Showcase their initiatives in depth through materials, live demos and direct exchanges with the teams.

To close the day, we enjoyed a screening of To Kyma alongside our colleagues at Open Arms, and had the chance to speak with one of the key figures of this remarkable NGO on their tenth anniversary. An emotional and deeply meaningful ending.

Explore the open calls, access the results through the open science repository, and be part of this creative journey to protect and restore our waters for future generations.