Where Art meets Science for Our Ocean and Seas @RGS2025

A PartArt4OW session organised in collaboration with TidalArts at RGS2025 Conference.

We believe that creativity has the power to transform how we think, feel, and act towards Our Ocean
and Seas. “Art can provide an open forum where science, nature and society can reconnect, working
on our senses, emotions and values” (Dupont, 2017). This years theme – Geographies of creativity/creative geographies – the perfect venue for like-minded practitioners to discuss how we can facilitate the exchange between creatives and academia to reach diverse types of impact. The idea for the proposed discussion group comes from a session organized by TIDAL ArtS team in early 2025 where a discussion on Knowledge Production between Art and Science for our Ocean and Seas took place. From the initial discussions among 30 ocean, art and science initiatives, it is clear that more exchange is needed on this topic.
We propose to facilitate further discussion regarding the challenges and opportunities for knowledge
co-production between the art and science worlds as well as discuss the engagement of communities
in these types of art-based participatory activities (e.g. Seravalli et al., 2023, Pedroso-Roussado et al.
2024).
Our proposal involves three main themes of roundtable-discussion:

1. Who is currently missing (and how can we address this) when we co-produce knowledge on Our
   Ocean and Seas in art based participatory research initiatives? And what type of knowledge are
   we considering?
2. What challenges and barriers are missing based on the ones previously identied by several

art-based initiatives from TIDAL ArtS session?

3. What are the possible solutions to the challenges experienced around knowledge coproduction between the art and science worlds?

The workshop will begin with an overview of the challenges and barriers identied by several art- based initiatives when combining art and science for Our Ocean and Seas. Additionally, a preliminary map of missing knowledge bearers will be presented for further elaboration with the session participants. Furthermore, a look into solutions to challenges will also explore the use of citizen science, integration of participatory methodologies, and the use of citizen science apps for knowledge co-production. The overarching aim for the workshop is to exchange experiences and foster a continuous dialogue about various ways of collaboration and ultimately knowledge co-production. The discussion will be facilitated by the co-author team and the goal is to present the summary from this event at a relevant community of practice working group session in the future, e.g. European Citizen Science Association Working Group on Storytelling and other arts.

The session is organised by

1. Ms. Baiba Pruse – University College Cork
2. Mr. David Whyte – University College Cork
3. Ms. Ruth Brennan – Trinity College Dublin
4. Ms. Kornelia Dimitrova – Foundation We Are
5. Ms. Sarah Tamulski – SUBMARINER Network
6. Mr. Sam Dupont – University of Gothenburg
7. Ms. Carine Simon – Institut de Ciències del Mar – CSIC
8. Ms. Andreia Sousa – 432Hz – Cultural Association for Art and Science
9. Ms. Evi Petersen – OsloMet
10. Ms. Kiat Ng – Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Univer…
11. Ms. Ann Light – University of Sussex, UK, and Malmö University, Sweden
12. Mr. Stephen Hurrel – Hurrel Visual Arts and PlaceCreate
13. Ms. Erica Villa – DVRI – Venetian District Of Research and Innovation
14. Ms. Lydia Cumiskey – University College Cork
15. Ms. Kathrin Kopke – University College Cork
16. Ms. Chiara Certoma’ – Sapienza University of Rome
17. Ms. Caterina Pozzobon – Sapienza University of Rome
18. Mr. Luca Bertocci – Sapienza University of Rome
19. Ms. Marta Dieviņa – Latvian Academy of Culture
20. Ms. Catriona Iulia Reid – University College Cork
21. Ms. Julia Bentz – Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Uni…
22. Mr. Philipp Hummer – SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform
23. Ms. Christiane Bosman – Embassy of the North Sea
24. Ms. Julia Lohmann – Aalto University
25. Ms. Zoë Robertson – Aalto University
26. Ms. Dorka Gadus – Pro Progressione
27. Mr. Cristiano Pedroso-Roussado – ITI/LARSyS – University of Lisbon
28. Ms. Jagoda Cupać – TU Delft
29. Ms. Alexandra Revez – University College Cork
30. Ms. Denise McCullagh – University College Cork
31. Ms. Imogen Humphris – Research Centre for Art and Society, Hanze University
32. Ms. Teresa C. Borges – Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR)