Celebrate The Sea Marine Imagery Festival 2004 REPORT
How inappropriate to call this planet 'Earth', when it is clearly 'Ocean'.
(Arthur C. Clarke)
 painting
with WYLAND at CTS 2004
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How strange that we celebrate anything and everything on this earth but have never ceased to neglect the very thing that keeps us alive – the ocean.
Recently, in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur, OceanNEnvironment in collaboration with the World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Antibes and the MTS Tourism Planners (M) Sdn Bhd set out to rectify this injustice. From the 29 July to the 1 August 2004, the huge glass dome of the National Science Centre filled with the laughter of children, the banter of adults, the hypothesizing of scientists and the applause of artists as they gathered to Celebrate the Sea. Heralded as the biggest and most exciting event of its kind ever staged in the Asia Pacific, the Celebrate the Sea Marine Imagery Festival was a staggering success.
If you look up celebrate in the dictionary you will find many meanings, this festival adhering to each and every one.
To perform publicly:
Entry to the festival was free to the public with shuttle buses ferrying hordes of visitors to and from the event. Inside the center eco-adventure operators, resorts, diving operators, photographic and outdoor equipment manufactures had their exhibits on display. Crowds gathered to watch Wyland, the Michelangelo of the sea, magically creating a wall sized underwater scene, the final canvas worth more than USD 200 000. Emory Kristof, the deep Sea Explorer who captured the images used by James Cameron in his blockbuster “The Titanic” was on hand to vividly answer any questions about his experiences in the abyss.The international celebrities of the underwater world, such as Todd Essick, Charles Hood and Michael Aw shared with both amateurs and professionals in workshops, the secrets it has taken them years to acquire.
To honour and observe:
From the cryptic habitats of nudibranchs to the annual sardine run in the shark infested waters of South Africa, the intricacies of the underwater world were revealed in seminars held by those that have spent their lives discovering them. Littering the center were hundreds of international photographic prints, a leisurely stroll revealing stunning images, creative interpretations of underwater life, children’s paintings and beautifully mounted prints silently auctioned to the highest bidder.
To praise:
With the overwhelming number of entries into the many competitions judged at the festival, praise was given these artists who have endeavored to capture the ever-changing beauty of the ocean in the hope of preserving it. In the feature film category, heated debates by the judges resulted in a Spanish triumph with Rafail Gonzalez Mayte Sanchez taking home the Sony Prize of Excellence for Best Environmental Film with his fresh look at conservation in “The Sea is for Everyone.” Controversy surround the judging of the slides with the Switzerland’s Mirko Zanni winning the Nikon Award of Excellence for best portfolio.
As for the black and white, macro and wide angle prints which were on public display for the duration of the show, the Russians and Italians dominated the category Paolo Bausani taking home the gold for Best Print. The awards were presented at the Gala Dinner where guests were treated to a Malaysian feast and much to everyone’s surprise the effeminate girls providing the musical entertainment, actually turned out to be men! On a more serious note – driving down the streets of Kuala Lumpur, as in most Asian countries, it is not uncommon to find huge, lucrative restaurants with nothing but shark fin soup on the menu. This dish, for which, sharks are slaughtered and left to die on the ocean floor, is devoid of nutrients and gets its flavour from chicken stock. In essence the only thing it provides is a social standing.
Each year the festival is used as a platform from which to promote the ‘Say No to Shark Fin’ campaign. By celebrating the sea, OceanNEnvironment strives to create an awareness and appreciation of the ocean’s glories in the hope that it will lead ultimately to preservation. This star studded festival has proved itself to be a truly significant international event, with Indonesian representatives sent to Kuala Lumpur to vie for the honored position as host country of the Celebrate the Sea 2005.
Wherever it is, it is sure to be as unforgettable as it was this year.
OceanNEnvironment would like to thank all our sponsors, those who attended, those who competed, those who volunteered and most importantly those who celebrated the ocean with us.
As for the rest of you –see you next year!
The
painting by Wyland and CTS's kids