Organized by the Institute for Art and Innovation (IFAI Berlin), this international forum brings together leading voices in art, science, foresight, ocean advocacy, and innovation to explore how cultural, creative, and interdisciplinary strategies can advance ocean health and systemic change. The symposium to explore how cultural, creative, and interdisciplinary strategies can advance ocean health and systemic change. The symposium is part of the Social Art Award’s ongoing mission to deepen dialogue and action on social-ecological transformation, and recognized as an activtiy of the UN Ocean Decade.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
16:00 – 16:15 | Welcome & Opening Remarks
Moderated by:
- Nicole Loeser, Director, Institute for Art and Innovation (Germany)
- Dr. R.M. Sánchez-Camus, Director, Applied Live Art Studio (UK)
- Elpida Dalietou and Bruna Carvalho, Co-Moderators, IFAI Berlin
16:15 – 16:30 | Ocean Identities: Embodied Introductions
16:30 – 16:45 | The Ocean as a Commons – Balancing Interests
Key Impulses:
- Tré Packard, Founder & Executive Director, PangeaSeed Foundation (USA)
- Akira Biondo, Director of Operations, PangeaSeed Foundation (USA)
16:45 – 17:30 | Art as Catalyst – Social Art in Blue Innovation
Key Impulses & Breakouts:
- Giuseppe La Spada, Interdisciplinary Artist (Italy)
- Serge Attukwei Clottey, Artist & Creator of “Afrogallonism” (Ghana)
- Fe Cortez, Environmentalist & Founder, Menos 1 Lixo (Brazil)
17:30 – 18:10 | Waves of Change – Ocean Sustainability as a Cultural Movement
Key Impulses & Breakouts:
- Sena Başöz, Artist (Turkey)
- Ximena Caminos, Cultural Entrepreneur & Founder, The ReefLine (Argentina)
18:10 – 18:20 | Break
18:20 – 19:00 | The Intersection of Art, Policy, and Ecology
Key Impulses & Breakouts:
- Christopher Coritsidis, CEO & Founder, Opus I Foundation (USA)
- Dr. Elissa Farrow, Futurist & Transformation Expert, specializing in oceanic futures (Australia)
- TBC, Climate Emotions (UK)
🌊 Blue Futures Symposium II: Art for Systemic Change
Join us as we dive deep into the transformative power of artistic interventions to address today’s most urgent global challenges.
Expect inspiring conversations, interdisciplinary collaboration, and bold visions for the future. Together, we’ll explore how social art can influence policy, strengthen community resilience, and co-create regenerative, ocean-literate, and inclusive futures.
This event offers a rare space for collaborative foresight, artistic insight, and collective action — bridging policy, creative practice, and systems thinking to imagine and prototype ocean-positive futures.