PORT OF VIGO AND UNIVERSITY OF VIGO AGREE TO PROMOTE OCEAN CULTURE AMONG SOCIETY THROUGH THE MERGING OF URBAN ART AND SCIENCE

• The President of the Port Authority of Vigo, Carlos Botana, and the Rector of the University of Vigo, Manuel Joaquín Reigosa, have signed a collaboration agreement laying the groundwork for the joint realization of the 3rd edition of the Scientists Meet Artists program.

• The agreement between both entities aims to make this initiative more appealing to the people of Vigo, increasing its impact and visibility while enhancing interaction between the port and the city.

• The building of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo has become the canvas on which artist Delio Rodríguez has created a mural of urban art focusing on ocean observation. The goal is to visualize and disseminate aspects related to the marine world.

Promoting ocean culture throughout society through the fusion of urban art and science involves creating a mural that conveys specific knowledge centered on ocean observation. This collaboration also includes various outreach activities highlighting the importance of oceans in the port environment, leveraging the possibilities offered by the "Nautilus" underwater viewer. This is the objective of the agreement signed this morning between the President of the Port Authority of Vigo, Carlos Botana, the Rector of the University of Vigo, Manuel Joaquín Reigosa, and the Director of Campus do Mar, Daniel Rey.

The agreement establishes the foundation for the collaboration between both institutions for the joint realization of the third edition of the Scientists Meet Artists program. This initiative, promoted and led by the University of Vigo through Campus do Mar, serves as a meeting and dialogue platform between two diverse disciplines: Science and Art.

Scientists Meet Artists, initiated in 2021, aims to foster collaboration between researchers from the Campus do Mar network and the Marine Research Center of the University of Vigo (CIM) and illustrators working in Spain and Portugal. The illustrations created reflect the shared vision between researchers and artists, maintaining scientific rigor and focusing on disseminating ocean culture and creating educational resources for the public, especially for primary and secondary education communities.

In this context, Scientists Meet Artists directly contributes to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO's Ocean Literacy initiative, addresses challenges outlined in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and emphasizes the usefulness of systematic ocean observation for understanding our seas and sustainable use of marine resources. Additionally, ocean knowledge and an informed population contribute to the EU's mission to "Restore Our Oceans and Waters."

Improving Interaction with the City

The agreement between the Port and the University aims to make this initiative more attractive to the people of Vigo, increasing its impact and visibility while enhancing interaction between the port and the city.

To achieve this, in recent weeks, the side of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo building has become the canvas on which artist Delio Rodríguez has created a mural of urban art focused on ocean observation, allowing aspects related to the marine world to be visualized and disseminated.

This mural represents the variety of techniques, methods, and data used to gather information about our seas and oceans, i.e., the hydrosphere. Oceans are not isolated entities, and therefore, Ocean Observation also encompasses the other spheres they interact with: the lithosphere, atmosphere, exosphere, and, of course, the living beings inhabiting them, i.e., the biosphere. Understanding the complex interconnection of these elements is crucial for advancing knowledge and care for the oceans and their impact on the global environment.

This initiative is part of the sustainable Blue Growth strategy led by the Port Authority of Vigo since 2016, where Carlos Botana, a graduate in Marine Sciences, emphasizes the value of science "in the city of the sea."

The Artist

Delio Rodríguez (Vigo, 1972) holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Vigo and a Master's in Drawing – Creation, Production, and Diffusion from the University of Granada. With extensive experience in mural intervention, he has received multiple awards for his work. Rodríguez began public space intervention in the 90s with the emergence of graffiti in Galicia. His murals can be found in various cities in Galicia, the rest of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Mexico, and Ecuador. This mural is the result of his creative collaboration with researchers from CIM, who contributed their extensive experience in oceanography and ocean observation.

For more information: https://campusdomar.gal/scientists-meet-artists/observando-o-oceano/

*This page features a photomontage of the mural with interactive points providing additional information that complements the mural and aids in its interpretation.