From September 10 to 12, the island of Ustica hosted the grand finale of the Art4Sea project, where performances and artworks transformed the island into an open-air stage dedicated to the sea and our connection with it. During those days, Ustica became a unique setting, welcoming the Art4Sea European project for the second consecutive year. Three vibrant days brought together art, science, and the local community, offering audiences an experience that felt like a shared collective dream.
Opening Press Conference:
On September 10, the info point of the Ustica Marine Protected Area, located in Piazza Umberto I, hosted the opening press conference of the project’s final events. The session, moderated by Emilia Brandi from 3D Research, gathered representatives of institutions, partners, and artists, fostering a rich dialogue of knowledge, experience, and future vision.
The list of speakers included: Salvatore Militello, Mayor of Ustica Davide Bruno, Director of the Marine Protected Area Fabio Bruno (3D Research s.r.l.), Art4Sea project Coordinator Project partners Lucenzo Tambuzzo (iWorld E.T.S.), Valeria Li Vigni (Sebastiano Tusa Foundation), Fabio Figurella (DAN Europe), Vicky Drouga (Atlantis Consulting SA), and Paula Lopez-Sendino (Institut de Ciencies del Mar – CSIC)
Joining live form Brussels, Silvia D’Elia, Project Officer at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), praised the consortium’s management and the project’s achievements so far. She warmly accepted an invitation from several divers who attended the press event to visit Ustica, explore its crystal-clear waters, and admire the underwater sculpture and the three murals created by the selected artists.
Although Gilles Pelayo, Head of Unit B1 – Culture at EACEA, was unable to attend due to official commitments, he sent his support and appreciation for the project.
Official Remarks and Presentations
During their official remarks, Mayor Militello and Director Davide Bruno proudly reaffirmed Ustica’s central role in the success of Art4Sea.
Fabio Bruno, the project coordinator, reviewed the key results, emphasizing the involvement of the local community and the promotion of environmental awareness through art.
Lucenzo Tambuzzo, the project’s Artistic Director, presented the 24 artworks created during the project — eight dedicated to Ustica (four digital and four physical) — and invited the audience to the Grand Event, designed in collaboration with Pino Di Buduo, director of Teatro Potlach.
Vicky Drouga shared the experience of the Alonissos community, which developed a strong emotional connection through the artists’ stories and creations. Fabio Figurella reflected on the shared vision that inspired the creation of a project celebrating Ustica and other small Mediterranean communities. Paula López-Sendino highlighted the dialogue between science and art, explaining how CSIC biologists provided insights and methodologies during the residencies and mentoring sessions.
Finally, Valeria Li Vigni presented the 3rd “Sebastiano Tusa” Sea Festival, which will also host the Art4Sea Virtual Exhibition at the Stanza del Mare, supported by the Marine Protected Area and environmental educator Antonino Tranchina. Fabio Figurella then invited Debra and Alexandra Camilleri from the Maltese Superintendence of Cultural Heritage to speak. They traveled to Ustica specifically for the Art4Sea events, sharing their personal testimonies following their collaboration during the Gozo phase of the project.
The Grand Event
On the opening night, an unexpected rainstorm led to the postponement of the event — prophetically titled Ustica Sommersa (“Submerged Ustica”). However, anticipation only grew stronger. The following evening, a large crowd of residents and visitors gathered for a multifaceted and choral artistic performance.
The narrow streets of the old town, several ground-floor houses donated by locals, and even the Metropolitan Cathedral became living stages. The people of Ustica, through their subtle yet vital presence, became an organic part of the performance, transforming it into a truly collective experience. Inside the cathedral, dynamic projections illustrated the island’s volcanic origins, while its facade lit up with the faces of Usticesi — welcoming arrivals and bidding farewell to departures.
The Grand Event evolved into an authentic community celebration, strengthening the bonds between the artists, the Art4Sea team, Nathalie Mentha, and the performers of Teatro Potlach, in full harmony with the people of Ustica.
The Artworks of Ustica
In the coming months, visitors will be able to explore the tangible artistic legacy left on the island — a seamless blend of physical and digital works celebrating the sea and its fragile beauty.
At Santa Maria Pier, stands the mural by Amanda Arrou-Tea/Mandi-oh, Mermaids Do Take Care of the Ocean: a female figure immersed in the marine world of Ustica, surrounded by Cladocora caespitosa corals — symbols of both fragility and resilience — evoking our shared responsibility to protect the seabed.
Climbing toward the main square, on the wall of the island’s pharmacy, visitors can admire Guardians by Silvia Gadda/SiL — another female figure wrapped in Posidonia oceanica, essential to the Mediterranean’s ecological balance.
Continuing toward Cala Santoro, at the L’Acquario structure, stands Mariana Duarte Santos’ mural Beneath the Surface, which envelops the building and depicts a dialogue between divers and marine life, reminding viewers of our shared underwater heritage.
Finally, off the coast of Cala Giacone, at a depth of about 18 meters, lies the underwater sculpture The Queen of the Corals by Davide Galbiati — a serene, priestly female figure symbolizing care and reverence for the sea, the silent queen of a fragile ecosystem that we must protect and admire.
Digital and Digitized Artworks
All these works, in their digitized form, together with the eight pieces created in Alonissos and Gozo, are featured in the Art4Sea Virtual Exhibition. Visitors can also explore 12 digital artworks created using VR headsets. In Ustica, the immersive exhibition was met with enthusiastic response — during the Grand Event, visitors eagerly queued to wear the headsets and embark on a virtual journey. Through this experience, audiences not only revisited Ustica’s digital artworks but also traveled virtually to Gozo and Alonissos, discovering the unique features that inspired the artists and their messages for ocean conservation.
The four “Usticesi” digital works offered distinct sensory and narrative experiences:
Liquid Tiles by Carlos Izquierdo — a digital piece combining sound and genetic code, transforming the sounds of Ustica into visual patterns inspired by local ceramics, symbolizing harmony between humanity and the ocean.
You Don’t Know What Love Is by Annika Boll — a poetic video game weaving themes of lost love and ecological loss, exploring our intimate yet universal relationship with the sea.
Wake Up to Disappear… by Natalia Wilk — an underwater dance film reflecting on belonging to the ocean, urging us to rethink the human body as one of water, in balance with, not dominance over, the sea.
Ustica VR του Simon Duflo είναι μια ταινία μικρού μήκους σε VR, η οποία εισάγει τον θεατή στον κόσμο της ελεύθερης κατάδυσης στην Ustica. Μια αισθητηριακή διαδρομή ανάμεσα στον θαυμασμό και την επίγνωση, που επανασυνδέει το σώμα, τη θάλασσα και το μέλλον του πλανήτη σε μια καθηλωτική εμπειρία. Μέσα από το headset, μετέφερε στο κοινό τη δύναμη και την ομορφιά του νησιού, συγκινώντας και εμπνέοντάς το βαθιά.
Ustica VR by Simon Duflo — a VR short film immersing viewers in the world of free diving in Ustica, reconnecting body, ocean, and planet’s future through a deeply emotional sensory journey.
All Art4Sea works are featured in the ART section of the project’s official website. Most digital pieces are available for online viewing, while the physical works are accompanied by photo collections and artists’ notes, forming a comprehensive archive that extends the project’s reach and reinforces its message of awareness and ocean stewardship. Looking ahead, Art4Sea will continue its mission with a series of dissemination events, dedicated to both its artistic and scientific dimensions. These events — aimed particularly at younger generations — will take place across the five partner cities, continuing to unite creativity and science in a shared message of care for our ocean.
English 
Ελληνικά