HIGHLIGHTS
Purpose and Values
Milan and Qingdao, 12nd October 2023 – SEA BEYOND, the educational program developed by the Prada Group and IOC/UNESCO, is bringing the “Ocean&Climate Village” travelling exhibition beyond its national borders to China. The coastal city of Qingdao, home to prestigious marine research centers1 , is hosting the temporary exhibition on October 14th and 15th, on the 81st and 82nd floors of the Qingdao Haitian Center, one of the 60 tallest buildings in the world.
This new edition of the project, established in 2021 as part of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 - 2030), is curated by IOC/UNESCO and UNESCO China and invites us to explore the link between the ocean and climate, with the goal of disseminating the principles of ocean literacy among the new generations. The initiative is actually aimed at children and young people, students from elementary to high-school.
The interactive journey can be broken down into five subject areas: “The ocean planet”, “A changing climate”, “Focus: China case study”, “Marine biodiversity and eco-systems” and “Solutions for the ocean we want".
The journey of discovery will be guided by young biologists2 , who will also illustrate the contents through interactive games, virtual reality and imaginary marine characters acting as narrators.
SEA BEYOND has also chosen the UCCA Foundation for Art and Education, which promotes the dissemination of culture through artistic educational programs for children, as a partner for the project. UCCA helped to plan workshops for the 6-12 age group, through which the young visitors can learn and find out about the sea and its state of health in a dialog between creativity and science.
In Italy, the Ocean&Climate Village was hosted at the Triennale in Milan (October 2021), the Arsenale in Venice (March 2022) and Castel dell’Ovo in Naples (March 2023). The Prada Group took part in all editions with the SEA BEYOND educational program.
1 Ocean University of China; First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), Ministry of Natural Resources; Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China (DCC-OCC); National Oceanographic Center.
2 Students and professionals from FIO (First Institute of Oceanography), Ministry of Natural Resources and DCC-OCC (Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China). Some of them joined the ECOPs (Early Career Ocean Professionals) global network, a programme endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade.