ocean space, an interdisciplinary platform for research and innovation, debuts in venice

ocean space, a new interdisciplinary platform for research and innovation, has launched its first phase during venice art biennale 2019. pioneered by TBA21—academy, this program for ocean change encourages people to radically rethink how we see and treat the defining feature of our blue planet. to inaugurate the scheme, ocean space has revitalized venice’s church of san lorenzo, a ninth-century structure closed to the public for more than 100 years, and has presented a large-scale installation by artist joan jonas.

(main and above) image © enrico fiorese

‘ocean space opens a new front line to the seas, with a mission to challenge mindsets, foster engagement, and dissolve traditional single -disciplinary approaches to solving the most pressing issues facing our oceans. conceived as a collaborative platform, ocean space extends the practices that TBA21–academy has been championing by cultivating research across disciplines and co-creation that merges knowledge systems,’ stated markus reymann, co-founder and director of TBA21–academy. ‘we are creating ocean space to serve as a global commons, a place that welcomes individuals and organizations from throughout the region and from around the world to imagine a radically different future for the earth and our oceans.’

image © enrico fiorese

following three years of intensive research and explorations, moving off the land II (2019) by joan jonas is a multimedia installation commissioned by TBA—academy. curated by stefanie hessler, the exhibitions pays homage to the oceans, their creatures, biodiversity, and delicate ecology. the show encompasses drawings, sculptures, video installations, and sound works that center on the oceans as a totemic, spiritual, and ecological touchstone.

image © enrico fiorese

inside the deconsecrated church, visitors can enjoy how jonas has intertwined the words of emily dickinson, herman melville, rachel carson and sy montgomery with videos she created during her residency at alligator head foundation in jamaica, as well as with biofluorescence recordings by david gruber. by linking this material, the artist translates this science and observational knowledge into her poetic and evocative language.

image © enrico fiorese

image © enrico fiorese

image © moira ricci

image © enrico fiorese

image © enrico fiorese

image © moira ricci

image © moira ricci

image © moira ricci 

image © moira ricci