Engaging with the public: the experience of MareDireFare a new science&art festival to promote the Ocean Decade

Seas and oceans are threatened by waste, pollution, indiscriminate use of resources, climate change and damage to the marine ecosystem, affecting human health, as it is closely linked to that of the sea. It is therefore necessary to raise awareness throughout the community with communication activities aimed at adopting good practices to protect our sea. At the beginning of the Ocean Decade, the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS and the Miramare Marine Protected Area, launched MareDireFare, a new science and art festival dedicated to the seas and oceans. The 1st and the 2nd edition of MareDireFare (transl. “SeaSayDo”) took place in Trieste (Italy) in late May 2021 and 2022. The concept of the Festival starts from "Sea", the main character that is guiding the entire event. “Say” represents the urgency of spreading information about seas and oceans in all their aspects and in different languages (of art, literature and science). The objective is to bring people to act urgently, "Do" something to protect its balance and functioning, to preserve the services and benefits it offers us every day and that make possible our own existence on this planet. The heart of the festival was the connection of art and science thanks to 2 artistic exhibitions deriving from the collaboration among scientists and artists who interpreted the microscopic world of the sea (in 2021) and the 7 topics of ocean literacy (in 2022) using different techniques and languages. For 15 days each year, a rich calendar of events was presented, creating a diffused festival that, starting from the central hub of the exhibition, involved the entire city (and region) with activities in libraries, bookstores, literary cafes, museums, etc. The key to the success of the festival was the use of different languages to promote ocean literacy in an inclusive way and to raise awareness to adults, children and families gathered together, on the importance of oceans and seas.