Sea Life Workshop – A closer look at our local ocean  

“The ocean covers over 70% of the planet’s surface but for most of us the life that it supports lies hidden from view. In this event we aim to take a closer look at what goes on beneath the surface of our seas, with particular emphasis on examining the unseen impacts that society is having on the marine environment.

From 2pm artist Julia Barton Local Artist Julia Barton will install a pop-up art cum science investigative space to enable people to make a Close Examination of the plastic particles weaving their way into our seabeds.  Julia will be running (20min) workshops during the afternoon to examine samples taken from 6 beaches in the North East.   The aim is to investigate and visualise the impacts of marine litter (www.littoralartproject.com).  The event is suitable for people of all ages and will provide a hands-on exploration the prevalence of microplastics on North East beaches and an opportunity to consider the consequences for our local seas and coast.

We will also be joined by the North East England Beached Bird Survey to discover more about the research they have been doing on plastic ingestion by seabirds as part of the Save the North Sea Fulmar, an international research project aimed at raising awareness of marine litter.

Following the afternoon’s activities, at 7.30pm there be a screening of the polemical Australian documentary film Blue which takes a closer look at current threats to our oceans today. This will be followed by a discussion about the issues raised in the film and their relevance to our local seas.”