Curating the sea - symposium

In recent years, exhibitions ranging from major group shows to small solo presentations have addressed the increasingly urgent issue of ocean ecology. This symposium explored the unique ways that contemporary exhibition making can contribute to the discourse surrounding the ecological devastation of the world’s oceans. It asked: At a time when the Natural History Museum, London, has launched a new paradigm of scientific display by installing ‘Hope’, a blue whale skeleton in its central hall, how does the display of contemporary art correspond and in what ways might it react differently to these issues? 

Interdisciplinary thinking and respect for multispecies ways of being in the world are frequently positioned as central to understanding and responding to the current environmental crisis. ‘Curating the Sea’ brings together scholars and practitioners to explore the complex relationships between marine wildlife, ocean ecosystems and human activity, examining how artistic-scientific collaboration can address these pressing concerns through exhibitions.