WE ARE OCEAN is an official project contributing to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. An interdisciplinary art project to raise awareness about our interdependence with the ocean in Berlin, Venice, Marseille, Vancouver from 2019 to 2021. It grew into WE ARE OCEAN Global Program and was endorsed by UNESCO as a UN Ocean Decade Project in 2021 until 2030 under the umbrella of the Ocean Literacy for All Program.

WE ARE OCEAN gathers institutions, cultural practitioners, policymakers, the youth and the general audience to discuss solutions for improving ocean health and reducing the human impact on the environment. Our contribution aims to stimulate educational and behavioural change among young people and adults through art and scientific programs including workshops, panel discussions, scientific interventions, art performances and film screenings.

WE ARE OCEAN draws inspiration from Epeli Hau’Ofa‘s works “We are the ocean” which is a collection of essays, fiction and poetry by the Tongan writer and ethnographer. His work challenges dominant discourses about Oceania and prescriptions for its development. We acknowledge his work as a source of inspiration and a guide for our mission throughout the project such as the creation of alternative perspectives and solutions to implement climate action and the full integration of indigenous worldviews in the art, science and education.