Introduction
Since ancient times, humanity has been using walls and rocks as means of communication to convey important messages to the present and future generations. Based on this premise, our project aims to merge art and environmental education through muralism, with a clear purpose: sea protection.
The project «Murals to the sea» is an initiative meant to make the community aware of the importance of conserving marine biodiversity and its ecosystems. It also seeks to emphasize the threats they face and to promote actions to stop and revert the damage caused by the unsustainable exploitation of marine resources.
Due to its unique physical features, the Argentine Sea is one of the richest in biodiversity globally. It’s home to emblematic species such as whales, penguins, dolphins and sea lions, as well as to a variety of birds and fish of economic and ecological importance.
However, this natural wealth is being threatened by destructive fishing practices such as trawling, which seriously damages the seabed and affects multiple species. It’s fundamental to raise public awareness of the importance of conserving these ecosystems and adopting sustainable practices.
GOALS
The project «Murals to the sea» is an opportunity to combine art and environmental education in an effort to protect the valuable marine ecosystems of Chubut. By involving the community in the creation of murals and the promotion of sustainable practices, we seek to make a lasting impact on residents' awareness and actions toward marine conservation.
Some of the project goals are:
- Promoting environmental awareness about the importance of conserving marine ecosystems through the creation of murals in the province of Chubut.
- Making the local community aware of the marine biodiversity and the threats it faces, with a main focus on trawling.
- Encouraging community involvement by engaging local artists in the creation of murals.
- Beautifying public areas with murals that show the richness of marine ecosystems and the need to protect them.
- Strengthening the sense of belonging and responsibility through the natural environment.
METHODOLOGY
Phase 1: Planning
- Location Selection: Identification of strategic public areas in various towns in Chubut for mural creation
- Work Team: Formation of a multidisciplinary team including local artists, environmental educators and community volunteers.
- Mural Themes: Definition of the specific topics to be addressed in each mural, to integrate and convey the values of marine conservation and its threats, primarily trawling.
Participatory Design: Development of the mural designs with the local community participation, ensuring that they reflect their concerns and aspirations.
Phase 2: Communication, awareness and concrete actions.
- Awareness Campaigns: Implementation of parallel educational campaigns using local media, social networks and community events to spread information about marine conservation and the threats of trawling.
- Guided Tours: Organization of guided tours of the murals for schools and community groups, together with environmental education talks.
- «Self-guided» Tours: A great advantage of this project is the possibility for those who visit the mural to walk through it in a “self-guided” way using the interactive tools with QR codes that we have added to each mural in the project. This makes the mural not only an artistic reflection of an issue but also an educational tool in itself.
