The trendy types may seem like strange bedfellows to ocean health conservationists, but they're ideal for the Prada Possible Conversation series.
In honor of the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Italian luxury brand gathered advocates and activists for the cause of ocean literacy at its Soho flagship store, also known as Prada Epicenter, to address a well-dressed crowd of elegant people but concerned about the health of the sea. invited to highlight the work of Sea Beyond, an educational program carried out since 2019 by the Prada Group in association with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
UNESCO IOC Senior Program Officer Francesca Santoro led the discussion with Emmy-nominated photographer and climate artist Enzo Barracco and Meghan Marrero, Chair of the NMEA (National Marine Educators Association) Blue Schools Committee, who focused on the ways their efforts are helping to educate the masses about the precarious aquatic ecosystem.
“Someone once pointed out to me that Planet Earth is, in fact, a little incorrect since it is actually a water planet,” Santoro told the crowd, adding: “Sea Beyond promotes the conservation and protection of the oceans to through education; if we want to act, we have to know what we want to protect. Art is a way of teaching it.
Among the guests in attendance was famed artist Cindy Sherman.
It introduced Barracco, who was previously a fashion photographer based in London and New York.
“By chance I discovered the story of the explorer Ernest Shackleton, who changed my life. His courage and his desire to never give up inspired me,” the photographer told the crowd.
As the trio spoke, highlight images the photographer took in Antarctica, the Galapagos and Hawaii appeared on a large screen behind them. It was clear that a fashion photographer was behind the images of blue-finned birds, iguanas, crabs, various glaciers, icebergs and bodies of water that were absolutely sexy and enticing. The photos will be displayed in the store until May 27.
“Art is powerful in telling a story about the natural world,” Barracco continued, describing his adventures in exotic locations. The creative said that he relies on photography as a means to tell stories, since it does not require translation. He will soon premiere another book at the Prada Aoyama Epicenter in Tokyo based on his photographs and trips to Hawaii, in which the Italian photographer thanked Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada executive and son of Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli.
When asked about the main differences between fashion photography and nature photography, Barracco presented a clear picture.
“In a studio you control everything, even the set and the lighting, but in nature, it controls everything and you adapt to nature. You have to pay attention to the timing,” he said while recounting the circumstances of some of the things. the photos of him.
“A photo from the Galapagos, I'm in a strong current near sharks (they're beautiful creatures and they're not interested in you by the way) and it's hard to take the photo in the water. You do your best to get back home alive. In the studio, the worst thing can be a dangerous producer,” he told the audience, causing laughter. In another photo, he waited six hours to get a picture of a glacier and was crushed by the wave in what he called “the scariest moment of my life.”
“The water hit parts of my body that I didn't even know existed! There used to be a saying: if your photo wasn't good, you weren't close enough, but I don't know if the photo is good, but I was very close,” he said to the crowd.
Santoro also announced some good news for the Marrero Blue School program, which is that Prada Group gave a grant to NMEA that was helping to launch 16 new blue schools in the tri-state area. The program is open to schools that apply and commit to ensuring ocean literacy is part of the curriculum.
“Schools design programs around their community and teach children in practical ways; for example, a science teacher and a Spanish teacher taught children about water and its organisms in a river that was an ocean basin in a largely Latin-speaking community. “Another school realized that things in the school store were not sustainable and took steps to change that, while other programs include a game-based curriculum for 5-year-olds. years that teaches them to be the ocean's helpers by cleaning beaches and testing waters,” he explained.
During a question-and-answer session, one guest wondered how city dwellers surrounded by concrete could do more than buy items made from Prada's Re-Nylon fabric, which is produced from recycled plastic materials collected in the ocean. The brand also sends 1 percent of the collection's total sales to support Sea Beyond.
Santoro responded quickly, suggesting that they take a train and visit some of New York City's beaches and pick up trash, even hinting that their actions could start a trend. “People will follow what they see others doing,” he said.
That's also music to the ears of the New York City Parks Department, which ahead of the 2024 beach season just redistributed a list of rules on public beachfront sand strips, including fines for littering, among other transgressions. If fashion can start that trend, Prada's Possible Conversation lives up to its name.
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