The Art+Oceans Ocean Acidification Street Campaign

30 JUNE - 21 JULY, STREETS OF DUNEDIN NORTH and CHRISTCHURCH CENTRAL

The event launch of the “Own the Streets” – Ocean Acidification Street Poster Campaign will be held on Friday 5 July, from 5.30pm.

The Art+Oceans Ocean Acidification Street Campaign, “Own The Streets” is the sixth in a series of mini exhibitions to result from the original Art+Oceans Exhibition 2018, (a collaboration between Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin School of Art and Otago University’s Division of Sciences).

Pam McKinlay, artist and event co-ordinator, says the event is being held as part of Puaka Matariki.  “It is a time to plan ahead for future harvests. It is also a time to reflect on what we do on land and the impacts we are having on the oceans – a time of care-taking as we face ocean warming, rising sea levels and ocean acidification in the realm of Takaroa-whaiariki.”

The street exhibition, in conjunction with Phantom Billstickers, comprises central city “street gallery” sites featuring up to five framed posters. It is also being held concurrently in Christchurch. “The quality of the posters is due to the efforts and expertise of Meg Brasell-Jones, a Senior Lecturer in Communication Design at Otago Polytechnic."

Each poster carries an ocean health label. McKinlay notes that the ocean absorbs between a quarter and a third of Earth’s carbon dioxide. “It produces half of the air we breathe. What we do on land has long-term and immediate impacts on our coastal and ocean environment – from water quality to long-term climate changes. I am hoping that people will care about that - its in our best self-interests.”