Ocean Around Us - Echoes of the Abyss: Toxic Legacies of Oceanic Ecologies - is an interdisciplinary symposium exploring coastlines and marine environments through ecological, anthropological, geopolitical, and cultural lenses. The event encourages innovative ways of engaging with the sea, drawing from the ongoing Echoes of the Abyss* project by Robertina Šebjanič. This project examines the environmental impact of munitions disposal in oceans and the complex human-ecological dynamics that affect marine ecosystems.
Timetable
10.30 - 13.00
15.00 - 17.00
Keynote Speakers: :
Dr. Nataša Rogelja - Caf, ZRC SAZU - Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana Slovenia
Dr. Matthias Brenner, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany
Speakers:
Tihomir Bošnjak, Head of the Diving Team of the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, Rijeka, Croatia
Petra Linhartová, Director of Digital & Innovation at Fundación TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
mag.Janko Boštjančič, Director of the Pivka Park of Military History, Slovenia
assoc. prof. Dr. Kristina Pranjić, University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Bojan Kopač, member of the state Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, Slovenia
Aljaž Leban, commander of the region Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, Slovenia
Andrej Šekli, commander of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit state divers, Slovenia
Dr. Irena Fonda, cofounder of YouSea Institute Fonda Fish Garden, Piran Bay, Slovenia
Davor Mišković and Ivana Katić, Drugo More, Rijeka, Croatia
Ivana Borovnjak and Maja Kolar, Oaza, Zagreb, Croatia
Gjino Šutić, researcher, UR Institute Dubrovnik / Zagreb, Croatia
Dr. Manca Bajec, Lecturer in the Visual Cultures Department at Goldsmiths, London U.K.
Robertina Šebjanič, Artist/Researcher, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Video Contributions:
Prof. Dr. Jacek Bełdowski, Polish Academy of Sciences | PAN, and Researcher Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Contemporary Threats to Marine Ecosystems. Sopot, Poland
Dr. Miłosz Grabowski, Oceanographer / Hydrographer, Marine Acoustics Laboratory, Marine Physics Department, Institute of Oceanology PAS, Sopot Poland
Filippo Minelli, Artist/Researcher, Italy / Dubai United Arab Emirates
Eduardo Castillo Vinuesa, Curator/ Architect/ Researcher, Madrid, Spain
Neja Tomšič, Artist/Researcher, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Moderators: dr. Manca Bajec and Robertina Šebjanič
The symposium Ocean Around Us - Echoes of the Abyss Toxic Legacies of Oceanic Ecologies; highlights an interdisciplinary approach to investigating coastlines and marine environments through diverse presentation formats, with speakers presenting ecological, anthropological, geopolitical, and cultural perspectives. It aims to foster new methods of working, thinking, and engaging with the sea.
The symposium stems from the ongoing project Echoes of the Abyss, initiated by Robertina Šebjanič. This project addresses the issue of munitions disposal in the world’s oceans, alongside a broader exploration of the power (or lack thereof) of law and other interrelated human-ecological impacts causing marine ecosystem changes. These disruptions have ecological consequences.
Ocean Around Us builds upon the Echoes of the Abyss project, which began with an artist residency by R. Šebjanič aboard the TARA in 2023, focusing on the Baltic Sea. The project continued in 2024 as part of Made In Platform (hosted by Drugo More & Oaza), concentrating on leftover munitions on the seafloor in the Kvarner region of the Northern Adriatic Sea. It delves into how decaying weapons release chemicals that alter the water’s composition and impact marine life, particularly organisms exposed to these contaminants. Acts of war and human greed are reshaping not only global realities but also Oceanic environments at micro and macro levels.
As a pre-event of the symposium, we invite you to visit the 10th Triennial of Contemporary Art – U3 at the Moderna Galerija, where the project E.F. Adriatic Sensing by Robertina Šebjanič is exhibited. The project will be presented by Robertina and Manca Bajec, the presentation will be followed by a guided tour by Kristjan Sedej (curator at the MG+MSUM). The tour will be focused also on other artworks that resonate with the ecological aspects featured in the exhibition.
* The artwork *Echoes of the Abyss: Toxic Legacies of Oceanic Ecologies by Robertina Šebjanič will premiere at a group exhibition CENTQUATRE-PARIS #104 in Paris. La Grande expédition: Tara, l’art et la science pour révéler l’Océan (The Great Expedition: Tara, Art and Science to Unveil the Ocean)
16.11.2024 > 2.03.2025
CENTQUATRE-PARIS #104 with the Tara Ocean Foundation
Pre-event: 24. October at 16.00, guided tour at the Moderna Galerija at U3
Post-event: 26. October at 11.00, visit the Pivka Park of Military History, Slovenia
Produced by Zavod Sektor and Zavod Studio Aquatocene; organised by Robertina Šebjanič; 2024. In partnership with Cukrarna Gallery. Special thanks: Moderna Galerija - U3, Drugo More & Oaza (Made In Platform), The Pivka Park of Military History. Supported by the City Municipality of Ljubljana - Department of Culture and the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia.