The intersection of marine social geography, participatory art, and ocean governance took center stage at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference 2026, held in London from September 2nd to 4th. Representatives from the Sapienza University of Rome’s CO>SEA group and the Raw-News Visual Production Agency brought vital discussions on maritime futures, coastal communities, and the EU project PartArt4OW to the international academic stage.
The delegation—featuring Chiara Certomà and Giorgio Garofani from Sapienza’s MEMOTEF Department alongside filmmaker Federico Fornaro—participated in multiple high-profile sessions, shedding light on the socio-ecological transformations affecting our global oceans and coastal.
Navigating Blue Economies and Grassroots Resistance
On September 3rd, Giorgio Garofani, Chiara Certomà, and Federico Fornaro presented their joint work titled “European Harbours between blue economy exploitations and grassroot political resistance of blue society”. Delivered during the session “Towards Just Blue Places: Blue Economies, Equitable Futures and Resilience in Times of Change,” the presentation tackled the mounting tensions between top-down commercial exploitations of the blue economy and local, grassroots movements demanding socio-environmental justice in European harbors.
The team also contributed to deeper theoretical discussions on human-ocean connectivity. In the session “Attuning to More-than-human Seas: Negotiating Multispecies Justice in the Anthropocene Ocean” (organized by Hannah Dickinson and Anja Rossmanith), the researchers explored ways of “staying with the problem” within oceanic nature-culture assemblages.
Visual Geography and Critical Screenings
Art and visual documentation played a pivotal role in the team's presentation of PartArt4OW's core ethos. During the conference's “Film Geography” session, attendees experienced the screening of “Critical Visions from the Sea”.
Produced by the Raw-News Visual Production Agency, directed by Federico Fornaro, and filmed by Fornaro and Giuseppe Lupinacci, the documentary was realized with the support of the Sapienza University of Rome Third Mission 2025 and the EU project PartArt4OW. The film offered conference participants a compelling visual narrative, bridging the gap between rigorous academic inquiry and community-engaged artistic expression
By integrating marine social geography, visual storytelling, and participatory frameworks like PartArt4OW, the research team continues to push boundaries—advocating for a transition toward a truly equitable and sustainable 'Blue Society' rooted in the real-world needs of coastal and marine communities.
