Leading Organisation

Francesco Bottigliero

Duration

6 months, starting the 1st of February 2026

Location

Salerno, Italy

Located along the coastline of Salerno, with core activities centred at the Marina d’Arechi, THALASSONIA responds to the growing challenge of marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea. Although the Mediterranean represents only a small fraction of global waters, it concentrates a disproportionate share of plastic pollution, posing long-term risks to marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

Led by composer and conductor Francesco Bottigliero, THALASSONIA brings together citizens, musicians, scientists and environmental organisations to transform marine litter into a shared artistic and scientific process. Rather than treating waste as an endpoint, the project reframes plastic pollution as a material for creation, learning and collective responsibility.

The project unfolds through a sequence of participatory actions. Citizens take part in coastal clean-ups and scientifically guided classification of marine litter, generating data that contributes to local environmental monitoring. Collected materials are then processed through Marine Ateliers: structured upcycling workshops in which the properties of the recovered litter determine the type of instrument to be developed. Under the guidance of a specialised artisan, discarded marine materials are transformed into playable sound objects, operationalising circular economy principles and linking material reuse, acoustic experimentation and environmental awareness.

These instruments come together in a public orchestral performance hosted at the Marina d’Arechi, where the community hears the “voice of the sea” expressed through objects once discarded as waste. The event coincides with the arrival of the PartArt4OW Sailing Lab, transforming the marina into a living laboratory where art, science and ocean literacy converge.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the project, THALASSONIA is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

• Active participation of citizens in coastal clean-ups and scientifically guided classification of marine litter.
• Co-created, high-quality datasets on marine litter contributing to local environmental monitoring efforts.
• Upcycled musical instruments created from marine litter through hands-on Marine Atelier workshops.
• Increased understanding of circular economy principles through direct experience with reuse, design and material transformation.
• A public orchestral performance showcasing the creative reuse of marine litter and amplifying ocean literacy messages.
• Strengthened collaboration between citizens, artists, scientists and environmental organisations around marine protection.

Expected Impacts

Short-term impacts

• Acquisition of sustainability competences aligned with the EU BlueComp framework, moving participants beyond awareness toward practical skills.
• A shift in participants’ perception of marine litter, from waste to resource, fostering new value systems around material use.
• Increased visibility of marine litter as both an environmental challenge and a collective responsibility.

Medium-term impacts

• Contribution of open-access marine litter datasets to evidence-based local mitigation strategies.
• Support to European marine data infrastructures through harmonised, citizen-generated environmental data.
• Strengthened local capacity for data-driven environmental action and decision-making.

Long-term impacts

• Delivery of a replicable and scalable model for Mediterranean coastal communities through the open-access Marine Atelier Toolkit.
• Durable behavioural change in relation to waste reduction, reuse and environmental stewardship.
• Contribution to the reduction of marine litter and the emergence of blue economy value chains rooted in reuse, creativity and circular economy principles.

Main Investigators and Key Leads

Francesco Bottigliero – Artistic Lead, composer and conductor, responsible for artistic vision, orchestral composition and performative direction

Mariarosaria Morelli – Scientific Lead, researcher in Blue Economy and circular economy principles, overseeing the data-driven environmental dimension

Małgorzata Bottigliero – Graphics and Communication Lead, responsible for dissemination strategy, graphic identity and audiovisual storytelling