Environmental sustainability through art Environmentalists and artists join forces to raise awareness of environmental sustainability in Seychelles |20 August 2018

 Environmentalists and artists during the dialogue on Friday

The Seychelles Art Project Foundation (SAPF) hosted a dialogue event involving active environmentalists and artists in Seychelles at the Kaz Zanana Gallery, Victoria last Friday.

The event entitled ‘Stir it Upʼ -- A dialogue between environmentalists and Artists -- is part of the conceptualisation phase of the Art Installation project-UP!

Representatives from eight environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Seychelles Islands Foundation, The Ocean Project, GVI Seychelles, Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation, Sustainability for Seychelles, Sea Turtle Friends Seychelles and Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles joined the conversation.

NGOs were invited to express their concerns on specific topics including plastic ocean, ban and recycle, marine debris, sea turtles and coral bleaching as well as share their experiences in the field.

One of the most prominent concerns expressed was littering and pollution, particularly plastic bags which often end up in the ocean, thus affecting coral reefs and sea creatures.

Following the presentations, the artists had the opportunity to raise questions to get a more in-depth understanding of the current status of environmental sustainability in Seychelles.

This also provided the artists, who are currently engaged in designing the concepts and ideas for the project, an opportunity to address the challenges of the project including sourcing raw materials and finding appropriate spaces to create and display the art installations.

Chairperson of SAPF, George Camille, said the UP! Project aims to raise awareness through art.

“Art is a very direct and powerful communication tool,” he said. “We hope this dialogue will serve as a starting point of connection between

environmentalists and artists to send the message that is truly important and vital to the environmental sustainability of Seychelles.”

The UP! Project aims to increase environmental awareness and good practice with the involvement of the community.

Major public artworks including sculptures, installations, murals and video will be created and installed on sites that promise maximum exposure for educational, aesthetic and motivational messages regarding environmental sustainability in Seychelles.