Vision of an Ocean Restored: Using Art and Film for Ocean Awareness & Action

Speakers:
· Alyssa Irizarry, Senior Vice President, Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs (MA, USA)
· Ainsley Cunningham, winner of Ocean Awareness Contest (NY, USA)

Topic of the talk: Bow Seat’s Ocean Awareness Contest is a global platform for young people creatively raising awareness of issues impacting ocean and planetary health. Hear about the origins and impact of this environmental arts program, and meet a young artist using film and design to inspire action.

Short bio: Ainsley is a high school senior from Chappaqua, New York. Her connection to the ocean was forged during the many summers spent on Jeju Island, South Korea. Ainsley has been involved with Bow Seat’s Ocean Awareness Contest since she was in eighth grade, and has earned multiple awards for film, poetry, and visual arts. She is passionate about the ways that art and science intersect, and is eager to apply them in her studies, activism, and the world beyond.

Film synopsis: “A Future Less Vibrant” is a short film created in response to the theme “Presence of Future.” Using color as a lens to understand how our planet is changing, “A Future Less Vibrant” explores global warming’s impact on coral reefs, and is a call to action to preserve our precious living ocean.

Here on Earth : Ocean Waters is a creative educational project for young filmmakers and climate leaders https://hereonearth.world