Coastal Natives is proud and excited to reveal the 2022 edition of the Waves of Change Festival! Featuring 7 artists, 5 local writers, 12 feature films, 6 short films, and 14 talks & workshops, there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy. From 10 September to 9 October, join us in learning about amazing marine life, the impacts of global warming, and how we can combat eco-anxiety together through community and activism. Entry is free.
Organised to inspire love, care and action for the ocean, the Waves of Change Festival 2022 (“WOC22”) features a variety of ocean-related exhibitions created by ocean lovers – from illuminating underwater photography and haunting short stories; to multimedia ocean art and thought provoking films and discussions.
“The Waves of Change Festival, in every edition, aims to bring marine conservation to the hearts of people. We do so by providing a platform for artists, writers and filmmakers to tell their story, as well as for everyone to come enjoy these pieces of art.” said Adeline Ang, Programme Manager at Coastal Natives, “Nothing warms our hearts more than to see people enjoying themselves at the festival. The films and showcases are a voice for the ocean, and through this experience, we hope that our audiences would be inspired to create their own wave of change.”
Coastal Natives co-founder Kathlyn Tan said, “The ‘Waves of Change Festival’, along with its travelling edition ‘WOC on Wheels’, is a series of ocean festivals organised to inspire love, care and action for the ocean. WOC22 is our third edition, which we hope continues to offer an exciting platform for like-minded collaborators to join the WOC mission! Curated to share both the wonders and plight of the ocean, each edition includes film, art and education to unite and empower audiences. Our events aim to create a safe space for meaningful exchanges where people can learn about environmental issues and spread ideas that create opportunities for action.”
Waves of Change Festival is presented by Coastal Natives and Artwave Studio, in proud collaboration with ArtScience Museum, Mutant Communications, Conservation International Singapore, Young Nautilus, Just Keep Thinking, The MeshMinds Foundation, Sensmakrs Lab and Climate Cheesecake.
Exhibitions at this year’s festival include Singapore from Below: Singapore is home to a large variety of animal and plant species. Whether on dry land, in tropical rainforests, mangroves or coral ecosystems, there is rich biodiversity to be found right here on our island. On an average day, underwater visibility can be as little as 2-3 metres or less, depending on the season and the time of day. Featuring local underwater photographers Shinto K Anto, Kevin Li, Nicholas Chew and Katherine Lu, explore the rarely seen wonders that live beneath the waves.
Blind Diving: Pulau Hantu – Originally created for individuals with vision loss in mind, Blind Diving is an immersive audio experience, inspired by true accounts. In this episode of Blind Diving, explore the local waters of Singapore and experience what it feels like to be in the middle of a magical coral spawning event. This series is created by Artwave Studio, in collaboration with the Coastal Natives community.
Peering into Our Future – Peering into Our Future is a project collaboration between Southeast Asian communications agency, Mutant Communications, as well as Singapore-based ocean conservation organisations, Coastal Natives and Our Singapore Reefs. Five award-winning writers – Joshua Ip, Amanda Lee Koe, Pooja Nansi, Xiaoyun Neo and Suffian Hakim – have crafted haunting and mysterious stories that envision Singapore’s dystopian future if action is not taken to care for our waters.
Stingrays. Art Inspired by Science. – Showcasing embroidered stingrays, Sofiya Shukhova’s artworks draw inspiration from scientific research. Viewers are invited to spend time looking at the artworks and wonder what each embroidery means and how it relates to their life experiences and everyday choices.
0 to 101.8mm – Represented as a short film, 0 to 101.8mm by musician and experimental sound artist Yingyi Feng, is an artistic representation of how the sea levels have risen insidiously from 1993 to 2022, as recorded by NASA. In experiencing data as sound, viewers immerse themselves in the presentation of these numbers and receive their impact physiologically and psychologically.
The feature length film selection comprises:
• I am Greta
• Envoy: Shark Cull
• Watson
• Ocean Souls
• The Blue Forest
• The Odyssey
• Ghost Fleet
• Sanctuary
• The Smog of the Sea
• Children of the Sea
• The Map to Paradise
• Bigger Than Us
WOC22 will also feature a series of talks and workshops, hosted by a variety of collaborators, including:
• Coastal Natives
• Young Nautilus
• Sensemakrs Lab
• Just Keep Thinking
• Conservation International Singapore
• The MeshMinds Foundation
• Climate Cheesecake
Waves of Change Festival 2022 runs from 10th September to 9th October 2022 at the ArtScience Museum. Entry is free, more information available here
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