World Ocean Day events sponsored by Atlantic58
Photo: World Ocean Day
In celebration of World Ocean Day, Atlantic58 sponsored Sea Changes Hebrides. These events were organised by island and international artists to promote ocean conservation and awareness.
Riitta Ikonen (Eyes as Big as Plates, Finland/New York) teamed up with Mhairi Law (Island Darkroom, Achmore) and Jon Macleod (An Lanntair, Stornoway) to run a seaweed swimwear workshop on Reef beach, combined with a sauna experience and sea-dips. The event was full of joyful interactions with sustainably foraged seaweed made into ephemeral Weedo costumes, with individual polaroid portraits taken on the beach. Participants left the event equipped with an "Ocean Passport” featuring a photo of themselves as a memento.
Ikonen has a long relationship with the Isle of Lewis. Her work with Norwegian artist Karoline Hjorth on Eyes as Big as Plates uses art and action research to ask, “What is nature?” and has been published worldwide and won various awards. Photographs from Eyes as Big as Plates are currently being exhibited at Island Darkroom, some of which were taken of local people in Lewis in 2019. Their work reflects current thinking in social science and anthropology which suggests that understanding relationships between humans and their environment and encouraging collective stewardship will be of critical importance in finding solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss, and in enhancing human wellbeing.
Portraits of local swimmers adorned in their seaweed costumes from the beach event are on display in An Lanntair arts centre in Stornoway until June 4th.
https://lanntair.com/events/event/sea-changes-ocean-portraits-riitta-ikonen/