Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) will celebrate World Oceans Day on 10 June 2023 with a free festival at the National Maritime Museum. RMG is working with scientific organisations, conservation charities, artist collectives and community groups to produce a day full of oceanic activities suitable for all ages.
For more information, visit: www.rmg.co.uk/worldoceansday
At the heart of the festival is a celebration of the ocean, and the vital role it plays in sustaining life on Earth. Over 70% of the Blue Planet is covered in water, and the ocean is relied upon for food security, transportation, coastal defences and much more. Yet it is also important to recognise the impact humans are having on the planet’s rivers, lakes and seas. Over-fishing, greenhouse gas emissions, chemical and noise pollution, ocean mining, plastic pollution and transportation all threaten the future of the ocean, but too often these issues are out of sight and out of mind. This World Oceans Day, RMG want to bring the ocean into focus and shine a light on what can be done to protect marine environments.
Featuring live music, expert talks and demonstrations, craft workshops, face painting and more, World Oceans Day at the National Maritime Museum will be a fantastic opportunity for families to learn more about contemporary maritime and environmental challenges.
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Performances
The Great Map at the heart of the National Maritime Museum will be transformed into a live performance space this World Oceans Day. Featuring live music, theatre and a very special performance from VOU, Fiji’s leading dance company. Be transported to the Pacific, and discover Fiji’s ancient stories, tradition and culture.
Location: The Great Map
Baton Workshop
Inspired by artist Tania Kovats’ Relay4Nature baton, this workshop involves participants thinking of a promise from themselves to the ocean and writing it on a baton. The batons will be passed from participant to participant, with the writer of the promise speaking the words aloud as they pass it on to the next person, reinforcing the collective responsibility involved in caring for our ocean.
Location: Under the Figureheads
Meet a Polar Scientist
Scientists and researchers from the British Antarctic Survey will be on hand to share exciting insights into their research, bringing polar-ready equipment with them. See underwater robots up close, explore a polar field camp and talk to krill scientists about these amazing but little-known creatures.
Coral Corner
Working with a local community group and enthusiastic volunteers, this activity will continue the building of a crochet coral reef begun during World Oceans Day 2022. Create more coral on the day or bring pre-made creations. Crochet experts will be there to help, so beginners are encouraged to get stuck in. Science animator Hannah Whitman will be there to draw a wide range of coral species and assemble some amazing 3D creations using washed-up ocean plastics. The more diverse the reef, the healthier it will be.
Location: Propellor Space
Objects in Focus
Over 90% of the museum’s collection is in storage, so don’t miss your chance to see hidden treasures from the stores with Royal Museums Greenwich curators. Free gallery tours will also be taking place throughout the day, including a special curator tour of the new exhibition at the Queen’s House, The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea.
Expert Talks
Discover how ocean science is transforming knowledge of our watery world. Head to the lecture theatre for a series of talks with working marine scientists, featuring experts from the Manta Trust, British Antarctic Survey and more.
Location: Lecture Theatre
Merfolk Face Painting
Look out for artist Anna Kompaniets and her magical merfolk wearing intricate outfits made from recycled materials, and be transformed with ocean inspired painted face designs including scales, coral or little fish. Make sure you keep a weather eye out for our family friendly character Neptune, God of the Sea.
Virtual Reality and the Ocean
Visitors will be able to explore the ocean without getting their feet wet in a variety of virtual reality experiences using Oculus Quest and their own phones to dive into the ocean.
Location: Voyagers Gallery
Metronomes Steel Orchestra
Feel the pull of the sea and get into the Caribbean spirit with the Metronomes Steel Orchestra. The innovative 10-strong steel band will be performing live throughout the day.
Nicola Green Talk and Maquette Display
Artist Nicola Green participated in The World Reimagined - a ground-breaking, national art education project designed to transform how we understand the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its impact. Artists were commissioned to create artworks using a globe as their canvas, which were installed as sculpture trails across the country. Nicola Green’s creation, The World in a Water Lily, Amazonica was part of the Camden and Westminster Trail, and was exhibited in the magnificent grounds of Westminster Abbey and later in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and in Trafalgar Square. The maquette of Nicola Green’s globe will be on display during the World Oceans Day celebration, while Nicola Green herself will deliver a talk on her globe which embodies the connection between racial injustice and the climate crisis.
BEYOND WORLD OCEANS DAY
Poles Apart
Following the visit of the RRS Sir David Attenborough during the National Maritime Museum’s Ice Worlds Festival in October 2021, the newest gallery at the Museum explores the world of the ship, the experience of the crew onboard and the important polar science research they carry out with the autonomous underwater vehicle Boaty McBoatface.
Date: Daily
Time: 10.00 – 17.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Poles Apart Gallery
Admission: Free
Our Connection to Water
Water is a vital resource, but, to many, it holds a sacred significance. Our Connection to Water brings together seven artists, to explore our human connection to water through photography, audio, film, illustration and installations. They share their perceptions of and relationships to water, and consider how it impacts their communities socially, culturally, environmentally, emotionally and spiritually. This exhibition has been co-produced by The Collective Makers and Royal Museums Greenwich.
Date: Daily
Time: 10.00 – 17.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, New Insights Gallery
Admission: Free
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/our-connection-water
The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea
Willem van de Velde the Elder and Willem van de Velde the Younger were the most important and influential marine painters of the seventeenth century. In the home of their original studio granted 350 years ago by Charles II, this exhibition will reveal how the family’s legacy as renowned émigré artists transformed British visual culture and inspired future generations of artists including J.M.W. Turner.
Dates: 2 March 2023 – 14 January 2024
Time: 10.00 – 17.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: Queen’s House, Greenwich
Admission: Free
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/van-de-velde
ONLINE RESOURCES
Our Ocean, Our Planet Online Hub
We depend on the ocean for our very survival, yet many of us feel cut off from what is happening in our rivers, seas, oceans and ice caps. Our Ocean, Our Planet aims to help navigate these turbulent waters on World Oceans Day and beyond. This online hub publishes original articles, interviews, photo essays and videos, all designed to help connect our history as a seafaring species with contemporary environmental and maritime issues.
URL: Our Ocean, Our Planet | National Maritime Museum (rmg.co.uk)
How to Talk to Children about the Climate Crisis
This webinar explores practical tips for having honest and open conversations with children about the climate crisis, without causing feelings of stress or trauma. As a Maritime Museum, RMG knows how intrinsically connected our oceans are to humanity's future and want to support families to encounter and explore reliable information about the climate crisis.
URL: 'How to' Series for Parents and Carers | Royal Museums Greenwich (rmg.co.uk)
How to Make an Ocean in a Bottle
Oceans are vital to the survival of the planet and it is important that we try to keep them clean and healthy. Be inspired by the magnificence of the oceans and create your own ocean in a bottle. Imagine you are relaxing at the seaside as you create your own waves at home.
URL: How to make an ocean in a bottle | Royal Museums Greenwich (rmg.co.uk)
Making Waves
From sailors and scientists to surfers and environmentalists, this online interview series profiles trailblazing women connected with the sea.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/making-waves
Meet a Polar Scientist
A free series of YouTube interviews and lectures, featuring polar scientists sharing what it is like to live and work in the Arctic and Antarctic.
URL: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT6EQulbgyGfdff4cAm3Kc5PC5UITLi5W
HMS Challenger: Story of a Scientific Trailblazer
Curator essays explore the landmark oceanographic expedition of 1872-76.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/hms-challenger-expedition-oceanography-trailblazer
INFORMATION FOR VISITORS:
Venue: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Dates: 10 June 2023
Opening times: 10.00 – 17.00
Admission: Free
Visitor enquiries: 020 8858 4422
Twitter: @RMGreenwich
Instagram: @royalmuseumsgreenwich
Facebook: @royalmuseumsgreenwich
GENERAL INFORMATION
The National Maritime Museum holds the world’s largest maritime collection telling stories of Britain’s epic relationship with the sea, housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
The National Maritime Museum is part of Royal Museums Greenwich which also incorporates the Royal Observatory, the 17th-century Queen’s House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark. This unique collection of museums and heritage buildings, which form a key part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, welcomes over two and a half million British and international visitors a year and is also a major centre of education and research. The mission of Royal Museums Greenwich is to enrich people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history. For more information, visit www.rmg.co.uk.
For further information or images please contact:
Royal Museums Greenwich Press Office
Tel: 020 8312 6545/6789/6589
Email: press@rmg.co.uk