The future of the world's oceans is a story we are writing together. What if we let those who live by the sea lead us in writing the next chapter?
Introduction
Global warming disproportionately affects youth and Indigenous coastal communities in Asia. Yet, they are the groups that are generally excluded from the conversation, without a political voice, and undervalued as collaborators in the fields of science and art. How can young and Indigenous people take their future in their own hands, dream, design and transform their environment themselves?
The ocean is where all life started; it feeds billions of us, transports over 90% of our goods, and helps to regulate the climate. But human societies, especially those that have experienced urbanization, have become increasingly disconnected to the seas that surround us; to many, the ocean is mysterious at best, dangerous at worst. “International Ocean Stations” harks to the spirit of adventure that drove the international race to the moon, but subverts the elitist, technology-driven implications of space exploration. Like the ocean itself, the International Ocean Station is a playground, free for anyone to explore and enjoy. It starts with a dream, an open-ended conversation, an evocation of what could be. It’s designed by the youth and the Indigenous population, the fisherfolks, the elders, the visitors as it is an evolving instrumentation to explore and protect the sea, and our future. It may sound like the fantasy of a mad man, but it is a construction of the collective.
In the north of the Philippines, the ArtScientist in Residence Cesar Jung-Harada, is playing on the beach. Together with a group of newly found friends, they collect marine debris, and assemble intricate designs of a floating architectural model. As they build from reclaimed materials, they share stories from the past and the future, their fears and their aspirations. The most ambitious endeavors might feel like myths or scifi, but that’s how every invention feels at first, between reality and magic, both art and science.
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