In collaboration with Fondation Tara Océan

Artists in residence programme

Image credit: Karim Iliya / Kogia

We’re supporting an artists-in-residence programme to raise awareness about ocean conservation, in collaboration with the Tara Ocean Foundation and the European Marine Biological Resource Centre. 

Artists live alongside sailors and scientists for 2 to 3 weeks – either in marine stations or staying on the Tara schooner as it navigates the TREC/Tara Europa expedition along Europe’s coastlines. This unique opportunity enables artists to draw inspiration from the ocean, life at sea and research, creating impactful artwork to engage the public on the importance of preserving our ocean.

Following a competitive application process, the artists below were welcomed aboard Tara or invited to join researchers at EMBRC marine stations across Europe.

Following a competitive application process, the following artists were welcomed aboard Tara or invited to join researchers at EMBRC marine stations across Europe.

Credit: Marin LE ROUX-polaRYSE - Fondation Tara Ocean

Specialism: Music and sound / video / visual arts
Expedition leg: Aarhus (Denmark) to Riga (Latvia)

“Motivated and intrigued by philosophical, cultural, anthropological, economic and scientific dimensions of the relationship between humans and more-than-human entities, my goal is to synthesize this complexity with unwavering curiosity and an open mind.”

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Specialism: ceramics
Expedition leg: Bergen (Norway) to Galway (Ireland), plus Bergen EMBRC station

Siqou wishes to highlight another world, discreet and vital, marine biodiversity, in particular the marine microbiome. She would like to create sculptural pieces inspired by the species observed during the residency and highlight their shapes and textures, colors and translucency. These organisms would then no longer be visible only by image but also by volume and touch.
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Specialism: visual arts
Expedition leg: Galway (Ireland) to Bilbao (Spain)

“Through sound, photos, video, microscopic images, drawings and sample collections I would like to organize a documentation about the surface of the sea such as temperature, salinity, physical and chemical properties of the water, the presence of anthropogenic waste or pollutant agents, microorganisms, neustonic flora and fauna, etc.”

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Specialism: Music and sound / photography / sculpture / video / visual arts
Expedition leg: Palma to Barcelona (Spain)

“‘My time, your time, other times’ is a film and sound sculpture project that uses Einstein and Bergson’s discussion as a metaphor. It’s a starting point to work on two different ideas: the flow of pollution at sea and the migration of human beings, with emphasis on “time”.”

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Specialism: Visual arts
Project: TBC
Expedition leg: TBC

Specialism: Visual arts
Project:TBC
Expedition leg: TBC

 Specialism: Drawing and painting
Station: Kristineberg EMBRC, Sweden

“I hope that my drawings can convey wonder and awareness about the existence and fragility of these tiny worlds, keystones of our world. One could believe that it is while observing the microbiome that Lee Ufan could write: “It seems to me that it is not the universe which is infinite, but rather the infinite which is the universe” (Un art de la rencontre, Actes Sud, 2002).”

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Specialism: Drawing and painting  
Project: TBC
Station: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Naples, EMBRC, Italy

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