In times of global warming, a festival for oceans

In the last century and a half, global average sea level has risen by 8-9 inches, and it is on the rise. Meaning? Ocean ecosystems need our undivided attention. With the planet’s marine life as its focus, a festival titled ‘We Are the Ocean’ is underway at the Alliance Française de Delhi.

Organised by the French Institute in India, it encapsulates a multitude of parallel events, ranging from interactive art installations and film screenings to panel discussions and VR experiences, to emphasise the core idea that oceans are essential to maintaining the planet’s equilibrium. The theme aligns with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and leads up to the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in June.

From artworks on seaside landscapes to a plankton ‘ballet’, there’s much to experience for both ecology and culture enthusiasts. At the heart of the festival are nine thought-provoking panel discussions. Curated by Dakshin Foundation, these promise to bring together diverse voices from across India’s coasts to spotlight the social, ecological and political dimensions of ocean conservation.

Among the significant artworks is ‘Tidal Echoes’ by Nicolas Michel, a giant immersive installation that blends visual abstraction with real field recordings, aiming to capture the essence of the seaside landscape. ‘Floating Cities’ by Elsa Mroziewicz and Cécile Palusinski is an augmented reality sound artwork that creatively investigates the impact of rising sea levels amidst global population growth, continuous sea-level rise, and threats to ecosystems. There is ‘The Mermaid Tears’ series by Samuel Bollendorf, where the artist created a dialogue between the beauty of the seascapes and the sad reality of the plastic nanoparticles taken from the same places. Also being screened is ‘The Plankton Ballet’ by Christian Sardet and Noé Sardet, an immersive film that invites the spectator to explore the drifting world of plankton, revealing cosmic prousts, frantic antipods, voluptuous pelagia and swarms of sea urchins' larva.

There are a multitude of activities to engage with the topic of ocean protection as also a cosy reading space. A series of conversations — in Delhi, Goa, Chennai and Pondicherry — brings a new lens that’s rooted in local wisdom, interdisciplinary expertise, and lived experience.

The festival opened earlier this month with ‘Saving Our Seas: One Solution at a Time’, where speakers stressed that marine conservation efforts must be place-based, inclusive, and deeply rooted in justice for the communities who depend on coastal ecosystems. Panellists also called for greater international cooperation, acknowledging the interlinked nature of our oceans. The festival will end with the exclusive screening of ‘The Turtle Walker’, following Indian conservationist Satish Bhaskar as he embarked on an epic journey along India's spectacular coastlines, living alongside rare sea turtles to unravel the mysteries that surround them.

Across each session, the message is clear: ocean conservation cannot be achieved in silos. It calls for collaboration, courage, and a willingness to reimagine how we relate to our coasts and communities.

The festival is on till May 25.