The CO>SEA research group, hosted at Sapienza University of Rome’s Memotef Department and supported by the EU Citizen Science Prize 2024 – Diversity & Collaboration Award, proudly announces the release of its latest video reportage: “Blue Kinships. Documenting Ocean Relationships.” This thought-provoking visual exploration delves into the essence of visual research for marine social geography and the power of participatory, engaged social research on the ocean.
Produced by Raw-News society, the video is directed by Federico Fornaro and filmed by Fornaro and Giuseppe Lupinacci in Anzio. Through a seamless collaboration between researchers and media professionals, the video investigates the transformative potential of video and photography in marine social science, showcasing how visual storytelling contributes to a deeper understanding of the ocean-society relationship.
The video is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eZbeJHEiLVE and Zenodo https://zenodo.org/records/14787505
The video is a supplementary material of the book “Blue Kinships. An Exploration of Society & the Ocean”, edited by Chiara Certomà for Palgrave MacMillan, New York 2025. The video has been directed by Federico Fornaro, and filmed by Federico Fornaro and Giuseppe Lupinacci, Raw-News. Blue Kinship contributes to the emergent movement of ideas and practices that are interpreting the ocean as a conceptual and physical space for reconsidering our relationship with the complex, heterogeneous and mutable ecological systems of the Anthropocene; and, in consideration of the drastic and dramatic changes affecting the ocean’s health, is working toward a paradigm change in social consideration of the socio-cultural connection with the sea. Tightening the link between society and the ocean cannot be achieved by technological solutions alone, but requires a multidisciplinary understanding of the ocean’s influence on the more-than-human society, and of society on the ocean. This book includes cross-cutting, theoretical analyses, methodological descriptions and case studies across the social and natural research that puts the ocean at the core of all global health to feed the emergent socio-cultural geography of the sea and marine social science perspectives.
A Sneak Peek into “Blue Kinships: An Exploration of Society & the Ocean”
This short still compelling reportage serves as an exclusive teaser for the upcoming collective book “Blue Kinships. An Exploration of Society & the Ocean” (edited by Chiara Certomà, published by Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2025). The book, a publication within the Horizon Europe project “PartArt4OW – Participatory Art for Society Engagement with Ocean and Water“, presents the emergent movement of ideas and practices interpreting the ocean as a conceptual and physical space where ever-evolving environmental and socio-cultural entanglements are generating new complex, heterogeneous and mutable ecological systems. The research argues that addressing the challenge of tightening the link between society and the ocean cannot be achieved by technological solutions alone, but requires a multidisciplinary understanding of the ocean’s influence on the human, non-human and more-than-human society. By showcasing theoretical insights, methodological innovations, and real-world case studies, the book puts the ocean at the heart of global health and fosters the emerging field of marine social geography.
A Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Effort
The research documentation was made possible in the past years through the support of multiple institutions and initiatives, including the University of Turin’s Research Funds (ESOMAS Department), the Horizon Europe Citizen Science Initiative “SeaPaCS – Participatory Citizen Science Against Marine Pollution” (IMPETUS4CS, 2023), and the EU New European Bauhaus Cross-KIC 2024 “FishArt – Participatory Art for the Ocean at Anzio’s Harbour”. We extend our gratitude to the SAP&O (Science+Art+Participation in & about the Ocean) discussion group, whose scholars and creatives have provided invaluable inspiration and dialogue.
Join us in reimagining the ocean as a dynamic and interactive socio-cultural ecosystem.
For more information, interviews, or media inquiries, please contact:
chiara.certoma@uniroma1.it; caterina.pozzobon@uniroma1.it; luca.bertocci@uniroma1.it; federico.fornaro@raw-news.net
The video reportage has been included in the UN Ocean Decade Action playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWuYED1WVJIP6KGMHoCeHegg2PeLcTzrg&si=PwV3AAFXzBAw-P5F and on PartArt4OW youtube channel: https://youtu.be/e7pD4MMuk-w?si=a8nXJ2QTuti-c0AO
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Chiara Certomà 