HOMO SARGASSUM

Opening Symposium

September 26 & 27, 2024. 

at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts
Hosted and supported by the Winthrop King Institute
Presented by the TOUT-MONDE Art FOUNDATION

 

Program:

SYMPOSIUM I: “Understanding the HOMO SARGASSUM”

Thursday, September 26, 2024, 2:30pm 

Welcome words

  • Martin Munro, Director of WKI, FSU (3min)
  • Vanessa Selk, TMAF Executive & Artistic Director (3min)
  • Louisa Marajo, Artist, HS Initiator & Lead Artist (3min) 

Keynote speaker:
- Tatiana Flores, TMAF Board President (7-10 minutes)

3:00pm - 4:30pm: Panel 1: What is Sargassum? A French Antillean perspective on an invading oceanic creature

  • Dr. Sarra Gaspard will discuss the nature of Sargassum seaweed, including its ecological role and factors contributing to its increased proliferation since 2011.
  • Dr. Florence Menez will address the public health and social impacts of Sargassum in the French Antilles, focusing on sanitation issues and the socioeconomic effects on local communities.
  • Louisa Marajo and Nicolas Derné will explore the artistic and philosophical dimensions of Sargassum, examining how it has influenced creative expressions and its broader symbolic meanings in the French Antilles.

4:30pm - 5:00pm: break/ refreshments

5:00 - 6:30pm: HOMO SARGASSUM Film Screening

  • Film 70’
  • 20min Q&A with Vanessa Selk & Louisa Marajo, moderated by Nyasha Laing, writer and film critique
  • FSU Film Department participation 9. "one line space"

6:30pm: Opening reception 

 

Friday, September 27, 2024

9:30am - 11:00am: Panel 2: The Transatlantic journey of the Sargassum: echoing Caribbean History and Migrations

  • Nicolas Wienders will provide a scientific analysis of Sargassum's transatlantic journey using a tool called “Drifters,” tracing its migration from the Sargasso Sea to the Americas.
  • Billy Gerard Frank will offer a historical perspective on Sargassum’s arrival in the Americas and its significance from the viewpoint of an immigrant artist, reflecting on the cultural and historical connections.
  • Marina Reyes Franco will explore the cultural heritage of the African diaspora through contemporary artistic practices in Puerto Rico, highlighting the influence of Sargassum and its symbolic meanings in these works.

11:30am - 12.30pm: Exhibition tour with curators Vanessa Selk & Michael Carrasco

12:45pm - 2:00pm: Lunch break

2:15pm - 3:45pm: Panel 3: The Ecocide of the Sargassum algae: who is killing who? 

  • Libby Fowler Beagle will explore the political and geological impacts of human pollution and neo-colonial agricultural practices on the environment, particularly focusing on how these factors contribute to Sargassum proliferation and stress on marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
  • Moses Maerz will analyze colonial and decolonial ecology concepts through conceptual and methodic maps, examining how historical and contemporary practices shape environmental and ecological dynamics.
  • Morel Doucet will visualize the representations of Black bodies affected by anti-environmental practices, highlighting the intersection of environmental justice and the experiences of marginalized communities impacted by Sargassum and related ecological issues.

PERFORMANCE

4:00pm: Intro remarks by Caecilia Tripp

4:05pm-4:30pm: Immersive performance “Coral Sonata” with video and sound, performance by Herne Jean-Baptiste (in bold and underlined as indicated).

5:00pm - 7:00pm CLOSING RECEPTION