Blue Lab – Arts & Culture for Ocean Literacy

The Blue Lab – Arts and Culture for Ocean Literacy is a cultural and educational Mission Ocean & Waters-aligned action developed within the Sommerwerft International Theatre Festival by the river side in Frankfurt, with artistic activities in urban and rural regions of Hessen (Germany) and Salvador da Bahia (Brazil). Through performing and visual arts in participatory formats, the Blue Lab strengthens ocean literacy and directly supports the Mission’s “Cross Cutting Enabler: Public Mobilisation and Engagement” by restoring humanity’s relationship with rivers and the ocean and actively engaging audiences in Mission-aligned activities.
Using a source-to-sea perspective, the activities connect everyday life along the Main River with rural landscapes, coastal territories and ocean systems, translating scientific knowledge into accessible, creative and emotionally engaging cultural experiences. The cultural program created for Blue Lab includes performances, exhibitions, artistic installations, creative workshops and art-education formats co-designed by artists, scientists, educators and local communities.
The Blue Lab also offers intergenerational activities for children and youth, integrates a gender equality and ocean literacy focus within the International Women’s Theatre Festival, and promotes a decolonial South–North dialogue through collaboration with cultural and educational partners in Brazil, valuing diverse ecology of knowledges and lived experiences.
The main audiences are citizens, families, BIPOC Migrants, LGBTQIA+ communities, children and youth, cultural practitioners, educators, scientists and local decision-makers, contributing to the UN SDGs 4, 11, 13 and 14 and advancing the Mission’s priorities.