On 3 October 2025, the CO>SEA research group hosted the creative workshop “Marine Social Research. Present and Future of Science, Creativity and Participation for the Ocean” at Sapienza University of Rome, Department of MEMOTEF (via del Castro Laurenziano 9, Rome), Aula Master, 5th floor.
The workshop formed part of the activities of the EU-funded project PartArt4OW (Participatory Art For Society Engagement with Ocean and Water), reinforcing its commitment to bring together science, art and community participation around ocean and water issues.
🌊 Why the Workshop Matters
The initiative responds to calls from the UN Decade of Ocean Science 2021–2030 and the European Commission Starfish Mission, which invite scientists, civic institutions, artists and citizens to redefine our relationship with the Ocean — embracing not only its ecological and economic value, but also its cultural, social and existential significance.
From a “Marine Social Science” perspective, the workshop aims to go beyond traditional utilitarian approaches: it seeks to explore how oceans can be understood as shared material-symbolic spaces — shaped by human, non-human and more-than-human presences — and how artistic and participatory practices can contribute to this redefinition.
🧑🎓 What Happened — Programme & Contributions
The workshop programme combined presentations, discussions and creative sessions led by members of the CO>SEA research team.
Notable contributions included:
- Drs. Chiara Certomà presented foundational concepts of “Marine Social Geography” and the CO>SEA methodological framework, exploring how participatory citizen science and visual research can reveal socio-environmental dynamics of coastal waters.
- Drs. Caterina Pozzobon and Drs. Chiara Salari addressed the practical case of the Gulf of Anzio, discussing how the CO>SEA pilot research applies theory into field-based participatory mapping, citizen interviews and social documentation.
Thematic sessions covered: participatory action-research and citizen science in marine contexts; the role of ocean literacy and education; and the intersections of art, social science and natural science in understanding and protecting ocean ecosystems.
As part of the workshop, the new video-documentary CoSea. Critical Visions from the Sea — produced by Raw-News Visual Production Agency — was premiered, offering a visual narrative that complements the scientific and participatory work of CO>SEA.
📚 A Broader Vision
By fusing scientific rigour, community engagement and creative expression, the workshop illustrated how PartArt4OW’s approach can contribute to a larger paradigm shift. Rather than seeing the ocean only as a resource, this perspective recognises it as an ecosystem of social, cultural and ecological relations — and invites collective stewardship rooted in knowledge, empathy and creativity.
This aligns precisely with the mission of PartArt4OW: to build emotional and civic connections with ocean and water, bringing together artists, scientists, citizens and communities to co-create sustainable futures for our waters.
🔭 Looking Ahead
The outcomes of the workshop — from the theoretical discussions to the field-based case studies and documentary work — will feed into upcoming PartArt4OW activities. They will inform future participatory projects, contribute to publishing (e.g., collective position papers on Marine Social Geography), and help scale methodologies across Europe.
We invite everyone interested — researchers, artists, activists, citizens — to join this journey, to explore and redefine our ties with the ocean, and to contribute to building a shared, sustainable vision for water and marine ecosystems across Europe.