“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms,
it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too”
Vincent van Gogh,
The Letters of Vincent van Gogh
About the Project
A far reaching project with partners, Unesco Biosphere Isle of Man. This project is to conduct a far reaching and engaging initiative propelled by the collaboration of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, stakeholders, and link with UNESCO Biosphere reserves, across the world.
Vision
The Big Blue Project (Isle of Man), where art meets science, will help communicate and engage Manx community with the wonders and magic of the underwater world, how special and important they are, not only for climate change and biodiversity but for our own health and wellbeing and how we all need to reconnect with our natural world. Working together for a sustainable future (UNESCO Biosphere Isle Of Man's strategy) focusses on the holistic management in our Biosphere and how this can be achieved under the following 5 Es: Economy. Education. Engagement. Enjoyment. Environment
The Sea
Is a body that encompasses each of the 5 Es in its own right and this could be reflected and portrayed through an eclectic mix of work streams. The sea is a common thread that ties us all together. Human activity, how we feed, fuel, and finance our lives is taking a toll on wildlife, wild places, and the natural resources we need to survive. To protect biodiversity is to protect ourselves!
Mission: The arts can powerfully communicate the wonders and importance of the sea and working with UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man and cross-community partners we can connect new audiences to it and encourage them to understand, cherish, protect and enjoy it as integral to a diverse ecosystem.
Inspiration: The world's underwater sea forests, Artreach Studios felt this would be an incredible subject for creative art workshops.
Looking deeper, the Artreach team explored submerged and underwater forests all over the world - many different types of forests, trees drowned by rising sea levels or other live forests (mangroves/cypress for example), kelp forests, as with that of the sea surrounding, Cape Town, South Africa, and our own nature reserves and critical habitat for marine wildlife.
