SEA BEYOND Ocean Literacy Centre opens in Venice
Milan, Venice, 3rd April 2025 – The Prada Group and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) announce the opening of the SEA BEYOND Ocean Literacy Centre, the first and only Italian Centre dedicated entirely to ocean literacy.
The initiative forms part of the SEA BEYOND project, which has been working since 2019 to increase awareness among the younger generations of issues surrounding sustainability and ocean preservation. The Centre, co-designed by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and UNESCO-IOC, is located on the island of San Servolo, in the Venetian Lagoon. The choice of site is significant as the area is a unique example of a ‘transition ecosystem’ shaped by continuous interactions between land, sea and humankind.
The Centre’s activities – designed to foster dialogue and employing an accessible, inclusive and multi-sensory approach – have been developed for students of all ages, local communities, researchers, residents, and tourists from both Italy and overseas. These diverse audiences will be addressed in a similarly broad language that compares ideas and perspectives from different disciplines. The aim is to encourage visitors to think critically about their relationship with the ocean, and the lagoon, and to adopt positive behaviours in favour of a more sustainable future – transforming ocean knowledge into action.
The concept is structured around three rooms that guide visitors on a journey of scale, from the very largest to the smallest sizes, from the vast expanse of the ocean to the complex biodiversity of the microorganisms in the Venetian Lagoon, ending with a focus on the human scale, examining the power of action. The Centre is equipped with personalised video projections that teach visitors to see water as a resource and a living system, while the opportunity to interact directly with marine ecosystems and scientific practices provides a hands-on learning experience.
The SEA BEYOND Ocean Literacy Centre will be open on Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm.
Book here (Free admission)
