As part of the Impactarte project. The exhibition, led by CIM researcher Ángela Fontán Bouzas, will be open from 16 to 21 June and includes three public talks
Art can help reconstruct the climate history of our coastlines. That is the premise behind ImpactARTE. Art as an archive of coastal climate memory is an exhibition led by Ángela Fontán Bouzas, researcher at the Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM) of the University of Vigo, on display at the Museo do Mar de Galicia from 16 to 21 June. The exhibition proposes an innovative approach to the effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems through a dialogue between art, history and science.
The initiative is part of the ImpactARTE project, funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and aims to explore how artistic representations of the coastline can contribute to scientific research on environmental changes over time.
Through a selection of pictorial works and educational materials, the exhibition invites the public to discover how coastal landscapes, extreme weather events, fishing activity and the relationship between communities and the sea have been reflected in artistic creations — and how these can serve today as valuable records for understanding the evolution of the climate and marine ecosystems.
Art as a source of scientific knowledge
ImpactARTE brings together marine science researchers, art history specialists and illustration professionals to analyse the potential of artistic works as a complementary tool in environmental research. The initiative seeks to demonstrate that many paintings, engravings and coastal representations constitute genuine visual archives capable of providing information about past climate events, changes to the coastline, and transformations in human activities linked to the sea.
According to CIM researcher Ángela Fontán Bouzas, the project aims to open new avenues of collaboration between traditionally separate disciplines and to make climate change research more accessible to society. “Art offers a unique perspective for understanding the evolution of our coastlines and connecting with people through a visual and emotional language,” she explains.
Public talks
Complementing the exhibition, the Auditorium of the Museo do Mar will host three informative talks given by Daniel Cajade Pascual, lecturer in the Department of Geography at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and member of the ImpactARTE project.
The talks will take place on Tuesday 16 June at 11:30 and 16:30, and on Wednesday 17 June at 11:30.
These sessions will explain how the analysis of artistic works can complement conventional scientific records and contribute to understanding the impacts of climate change on the coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula.
The exhibition can be visited during the regular opening hours of the Museo do Mar de Galicia and forms part of the scientific outreach activities promoted by the CIM to bring society new ways of interpreting and understanding the environmental challenges facing the ocean.
The CIM holds the CIGUS recognition awarded by the Xunta de Galicia, which certifies the quality and impact of its research. Its activities are co-funded by the European Union through the ERDF 2021–2027 Programme.
Source: DUVI
