Hampshire school pupils invited to submit entries for 'World Under the Sea' art exhibition
Pupils in schools and colleges across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being offered the chance to see their artwork on public display as part of the 'World Under the Sea' art exhibition in Southampton in spring 2004.
The Classroom@Sea project is organising the art competition and exhibition to encourage young people to think about what the ocean environment means to them. Thirty winning entries, chosen by a panel of artists and scientists, will be displayed at Southampton Civic Centre.
Dr Vikki Gunn at Southampton Oceanography Centre is coordinating the Classroom@Sea project. She said: "Entries will be judged on their artistic appeal, but we will also be looking out for pictures that capture the imagination and show an awareness of marine science issues. We want entrants to look beyond the obvious images of coral and brightly coloured fish.
"The oceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet and are the driving force behind life on Earth. Their depths hide an amazing diversity of life forms and dramatic scenery, and exciting technology is being developed to explore them. At the same time, the oceans are under increasing pressure from threats such as over-fishing, pollution and global climate change."
The closing date for entries is Friday 13 February 2003. Artwork can be from A4 to A2 in size and can be created with any medium, such as watercolour, acrylics, pastels or ink. For more information and an entry form see the Classroom@Sea website (www.soc.soton.ac.uk/CHD/classroom@sea).
Classroom@Sea is an innovative project which is bringing real marine science into the classroom via its interactive website, which explains a range of marine science topics and offers resources for teachers. The project has recruited two Hampshire science teachers - Ian Lewis, Head of Science at Wyvern Technology College, Eastleigh, and Elena Fernandez-Lee, science teacher at the Arnewood School in New Milton - who helped to design the website. And in summer 2004 they will send back daily reports, photographs, stories and video clips from a two-week marine research cruise off the Portuguese coast.
Notes for editors
- Classroom@Sea is being carried out as part of an international EU-funded research programme called EUROSTRATAFORM (EUROpean margin STRATA FORMation), which is investigating how sediment particles are transported from river mouths across the continental shelf down to the deep sea.
- EUROSTRATAFORM and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are sponsoring the Classroom@Sea project, which is organised and run by scientists at Southampton Oceanography Centre.
- Southampton Oceanography Centre is a joint venture between the University of Southampton and NERC. It is a centre of excellence in marine sciences, earth sciences and marine technology (www.soc.soton.ac.uk).