The Posidonia
Project
a sonic journey and multi-disciplinary initiative originating in Ibiza with the aim to create awareness and raise funds for the protection of Posidonia, a critical ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea.
Posidonia is renowned as one of the most powerful carbon sinks, playing a significant role in combating climate change.
By leveraging the power of music, the project aims to contribute to the Ocean Decade mission to protect 30% of the Mediterranean Sea by 2030.
Posidonia meadows
are the lungs of the Mediterranean Sea
Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass, is a plant (not an algae) adapted to live underwater. It is a vital element to preserve the Mediterranean’s ecosystems, prevent coastal erosion and balance the presence of carbon dioxide in the sea and atmosphere.
Posidonia meadows are in fact one of the most efficient ecosystems in nature, providing shelter for many underwater species and contributing to the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere: one square meter of seagrass captures the equivalent of 15 square meters of Amazon Rainforest.
The Posidonia meadows in the Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera were declared in 1999 as World Heritage by UNESCO, considered the largest and the longest living being on the planet, about 15km long and up to 100.000 years old.
Unfortunately, since the beginning of the 20th century, this extremely slow-growing and long-lived species have become severely threatened by human impact and have been declining at an alarming rate.
In the Balearic Islands, the plants that populate the seabed are currently in regression, not only due to the warming of the water, but also due to local disturbances such as pollution or the anchoring of boats.
We urgently need to protect and save Posidonia, our great ally in the fight against climate change.
Every bluer step we make, it’s a step to make the planet a better place.
about the project
The Posidonia Project was conceived by composer Coco Francavilla, founder of MusicForTheSea—an NGO dedicated to connecting musicians and forward-thinking creatives to support marine sustainability.
With a profound love for the Mediterranean Sea and a strong environmental commitment, Coco Francavilla, a long-time resident of the Balearic Island of Ibiza, envisioned a project aimed at raising awareness and funds for Posidonia. She believed that amidst global challenges, the artist community possesses the power to advocate for a bluer planet, ensuring the protection and preservation of our ocean ecosystems.
mission
The mission of the project is leverage the influential reach of the music industry to drive positive environmental change. Recognizing the impact of Ibiza’s vibrant club scene on the local marine ecosystem, we aim to transform this influence into a force for good. By collaborating with artists, forward-thinking creatives and influential music industry stakeholders in conjunction with scientific experts, we extend our reach, promoting marine conservation efforts globally.
project highlights
The project invites influential artists to Ibiza for a transformative Posidonia Journey, engaging in a captivating expedition, capturing field recordings by the sea, and finding inspiration in Coco's WIDER SOUNDS studio.
The Posidonia Project seeks to accomplish the following objectives and outreach initiatives.
Album Releases: Curating albums that tell the story of the sea through music, showcasing tracks composed by participating artists. These albums, pressed on vinyl using bio-plastic materials, serve as a tangible representation of the project's artistic contributions while emphasizing sustainability in music distribution.
Photography Editions: Printed on zero-impact Favini recycled algae paper, these editions feature captivating imagery from Posidonia expeditions and stunning underwater photographs of the Balearic Sea. This visually immersive publication aims to raise awareness of marine conservation issues while promoting eco-friendly printing practices.
Immersive Audio-Visual / Multidisciplinary Events: Organizing immersive events that blend music, art, and science to engage audiences in marine conservation. These events, held in Ibiza and at digital arts festivals across Europe with partners like MUTEK and OpenLab, feature installations and live performances by all participating artists. The events are organized in alignment with sustainable event management practices, fostering environmental consciousness within the creative community.
Educational Resources: Developing marine conservation educational videos, documentaries, and workshops tailored to engage children in sustainable thinking through art and music. These resources aim to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards while highlighting the importance of preserving marine ecosystems like the Posidonia meadows.
Marine Bioacoustic Monitoring: Implementing Passive Acoustic Monitoring techniques to monitor Posidonia meadows. Sound artists participate in underwater recording sessions during residency programs on the island, capturing the unique acoustic properties of the marine environment and contributing valuable data to ongoing conservation efforts.
Marine Biologists / Researchers: Partnering with prominent marine biologists, such as Manu San Felix, and underwater acoustic scientists to enhance our monitoring efforts.
Seascapes - From Underwater Acoustic to SoundArt & Sampling: Creating ambient seascape textures and organic electronic soundscapes for sonic art and sound libraries on platforms . These recordings will also serve as a bioacoustic library for scientific research.
Radio Show - BlueResonance: Launching a dedicated radio show on the esteemed electronic Radio OpenLab platform. This show features music by project artists and promotes awareness of marine conservation issues to a broader audience, amplifying the project's message while engaging listeners in discussions about environmental sustainability.
Music Industry Engagement: Amplifying awareness through recordings and sound packs, involving influential artists from the electronic music scene.
Conservation Impact: Supporting UN Ocean Decade initiatives and addressing key challenges such as ecosystem restoration and climate change mitigation.
Alignment with 30x30 UN Ocean Decade Challenge: Connecting humanity with the ocean by promoting the protection of 30% of our oceans by 2030. Our initiatives align with this challenge by fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of marine ecosystems through multidisciplinary and artistic engagements.
Support the reserva30.org Declaration Petition: Actively supporting the petition to protect 30% of the Mediterranean Sea by reserva30.org.
Music Festival Participation: Engaging with music festivals to raise awareness through special performances and dedicated stages.
Conferences and Summits: Representing the music industry’s commitment to ocean change awareness at various forums.
Below images captured during Posidonia Replantation expedition in Ibiza, conducted by marine biologist and National Geographic explorer Manu San Felix and his crew Vellmari Association together with MusicFortheSea team
collaborators & partners
MUTEK.org : An international festival dedicated to electronic music and digital arts, with a strong focus on sustainability.
Outreach:Provides a platform for showcasing our project at high-profile events, attracting a diverse and engaged audience, and promoting sustainable practices in the arts.EarthPercent.org: Founded by Brian Eno, focusing on leveraging music to support environmental causes.
Outreach: Amplifies our environmental message through collaboration with a respected organization in the music industry, attracting attention and support from influential artists and audiences.OpenLab.fm : An influential radio station in Ibiza, promoting ocean awareness and ambient music through our project.
Outreach: Extends our reach to a global audience, promoting our project and its goals through regular radio programming and engaging listeners in marine conservation discussions.Vellmari Association / Reserva30.org: Founded by Manu San Felix, focused on promoting the protection and conservation of the Mediterranean Sea, especially Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Balearic Islands.
Outreach: Strengthens the scientific foundation of our project through collaboration with leading marine biologists and conservationists, enhancing the credibility and impact of our conservation efforts.
“We need to defend diversity on land and in the sea and we need solutions, and these solutions can only be realized by harnessing the imaginative side of human culture – the arts.”
artists
The artists invited to take part in THE POSIDONIA PROJECT are exceptional composers thriving in the ambient music scene. The goal is to invite these artists to a four-day residency at Ibiza's WIDER SOUNDS studio. During their visit to the Balearic Island, artists will have the opportunity to explore Posidonia marine sites, embark on sonic journeys, and participate in photographic expeditions to find inspiration for composing tracks to be included in the compilation album. Each artist will have the chance to conduct field recordings by the Posidonia meadows, both underwater and along the sea surface.
In addition to their artistic endeavors, these artists will be involved in bioacoustic monitoring as citizen scientists. The recordings they produce will serve multiple purposes: they will be used for musical compositions, sound libraries, and scientific research aligned with the Ocean Decade actions. These tracks will be featured in the compilation album and utilized for artistic visual content creation to raise awareness about Posidonia. Extracts from the tracks, accompanied by visuals of the sea, will be used to create climate-forward artistic videos, serving as another powerful fundraising vehicle. Unique new-media artists will be invited to contribute to the creation of visuals, enhancing the project's artistic and environmental impact.
Artist invitations (Ibiza Residencies)
RAFAEL ANTON IRISARRI
SUZANNE CIANI
CATERINA BARBIERI
GRAND RIVER
MARY LATTIMORE
TELEFON TEL AVIV
SOFIE BIRCH
HELEN VOGELSINGER
KMRU
PATRICIA WOLF
MARTA DE PASCALIS
STEVE HAUSHILDT +
IMAGINARY SOFTWOOD (EMERALDS)
ANA ROXANNE
KAZUYA NAGAYA
LOSCIL
BENDIK GISKE
COCO FRANCAVILLA
E. DE RAYMONDI
DRUM & LACE
FRANZ ROSATI
ABUL MOGARD
MORE ARTISTS TBA
There will be several photographers contributing to the project for the Posidonia photo-book and imagery assets.
One of the photographer invited to the project is Manu San Felix. National Geographic explorer and marine biologist, Manu is a renowned photojournalist who has dedicated his life to researching and caring for the natural world, specifically the underwater environment.
Since the 1980s, the reporter has been fighting to protect and call attention about the Posidonia. He’s also the creator of the PosidoniaMaps App, a cartography project to protect the Mediterranean.
He’s the founder of The Vellmari Association, a place that works to unite marine conservation, research, communication and education with the aim of raising awareness and helping to respect our seas and oceans.
Manu has been in the "Pristine Seas" team for more than ten years, a National Geographic project dedicated to researching, disseminating and raising awareness for the conservation of our planet.
Another photographer invited to take part in the project is Lorenzo Melissari.
Born in Sicily and based in Ibiza since many years, Lorenzo grew up with the sea inside of his heart. Committed to raise awareness about Posidonia since he fell in love with it in the Balearic Island, he’s been dedicating his artistic experience to explore underwater poetic imageries of the Posidonia meadows in connection with human body, with a an evocative and dream-like approach.
Artists coming to Ibiza will be exploring Posidonia marine site with Lorenzo , and will be taken into a mesmerizing photographic journey as well as and an occasion for field-recordings.
photography
Photos by Lorenzo Melissari
Video by Manu San Felix
visual artists
Visual artists are invited to join the Posidonia Project, where they will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the mesmerizing beauty of the sea and draw inspiration from its enchanting depths. Through this collaboration, artists are encouraged to create multimedia art that reflects their personal connection to the ocean and its delicate ecosystems. These captivating artworks will be showcased as part of immersive art installations, providing a platform for the expression of diverse perspectives on marine conservation and sustainability. Additionally, selected pieces may be featured at music events such as MUTEK festivals, where they will complement live performances and enrich the overall sensory experience for attendees.
Visual by Eduardo Navarro
Music by Grand River
the journey
Here are some images of the Artists’ journey experiencing The Posidonia Project residencies in Ibiza … between magic expeditions by the sea, field-recordings by the water and the sky and mesmerizing time in the studio.
The Expeditions with Artists - photos by Coco Francavilla
The Artists in the Studio - photos by Coco Francavilla
fundraising/
donation
The production cost of the project (to cover fees to artists/ studio residencies/ photo material/ audio mastering/ press of vinyl / printing of photo-book/ distribution/ promotion etc) will be financed by contributions from several sponsors and via a crowdfunding campaign.
We are seeking contributions from various stakeholders to finance the project, covering expenses for inviting artists, paying marine biologists, and purchasing research equipment
The proceeds from the project album releases, live events, personal donations, exhibitions, art installations) will be donated to associations and foundations committed to the safeguard of the Posidonia and marine habitat such as:
VELLMARI ASSOCIATION
Founded by marine biologist and National Geographic photographer Manu San Felix, Vellmari it’s an association that work to conserve marine habitats and ecosystems (especially Posidonia), inspiring people and companies so that together we can face the threats suffered by the seas and oceans and specifically the Mediterranean Sea. Vellmari works in a coordinated way and in direct contact with Universities, educational and research centers, which allows to have a direct and rigorous knowledge of the development of the projects
Founded by composer and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno , EarthPercent is a charity providing a simple way for the music industry to support the most impactful organizations addressing the climate emergency. The mission is to encourage artists and music-related organizations to pledge a small percentage of their income to EarthPercent. This percentage can be collected at source and diverted to EarthPercent where it will be directed to the most impactful organizations dealing with climate change.