Photo: Borut Brozović / Drugo more
The Sea Sources seminar is scheduled to be held within the framework of the MADE IN – Platform for Contemporary Crafts and Design on Friday, October 13, 2023, in the large hall of Filodrammatica (Korzo 28/1, Rijeka). Presentations and discussions will be held in English. Admission is free.
The first panel («The Shore», 11:00 a.m.) is dedicated to natural resources used in construction and to ways in which these materials and traditional techniques can be useful in the modern world. However, to avoid idealizing the past, we will also touch on local deforestation. The panel features Matko Šišak, Filip Šrajer, and Duje Dorotka. The discussion will be moderated by Henriette Waal.
The second panel («The Sea», 5:00 p.m.) is devoted to the sea as an attractive force in the tourism industry that transforms both the coast and the sea for short-lived pleasures. The panel features Sven Marcelić, Neven Cukrov, and Hrvoje Carić. The discussion will be moderated by Nebojša Zelič. Before the start of the panel, artist Robertina Šebjanič will address the audience through a video recording, discussing her projects exploring the interaction of toxic waste and marine organisms, and the design collective Oaza will talk about their project investigating the impact of nautical tourism on the Adriatic Sea.
Arthur C. Clarke noticed that it is inappropriate to call our planet Earth, when it’s clearly the Ocean. But, as usual, people tend to see things from their own perspective. We live on the land, and that’s why every story about the sea starts from the shore. From the shore, we embark on a short seminar we named Sea Sources, whose purpose is to familiarize ourselves with embedded knowledge and current issues related to the areas where land and sea meet.
As a species, we’ve brought the world to the brink of collapse, and despite knowing about the negative effects of our actions for over 100 years, it’s only in the last 30 years that we’ve done more harm than in the entire history of our existence as a species. That’s why it’s important to look into the past and rediscover materials, techniques, and knowledge that can reduce our impact on land and sea, as well as in the present moment where numerous technologies are available to enable us to continue a comfortable life without leading the planet to ruin. Awareness of what we do every day is growing, but without any significant impact on our actions. Short-term gain is still the key criterion, and our Adriatic Sea and coastline are still in a phase of extensive exploitation. Writing about the collapse of civilization on Easter Island due to intensive deforestation, Jared Diamond wondered what was on their minds when they cut down the last tree. The answer is probably, the same as us, when we continue with international trade, fossil fuels, airplanes, heavy industry, intensive agriculture, etc., despite the impending collapse.
PROGRAM
Sea Sources
Panel 1: The Shore
Filodrammatica, large hall (Korzo 28/1, Rijeka)
11:00 a.m.
Photo: Tanja Kanazir / Drugo more (Flickr gallery)
PRESENTATIONS
MATKO ŠIŠAK
Natural Construction
Matko Šišak will present the work of his organization ZMAG (Green Network of Activist Groups) and introduce the audience to the topic of building with local, unprocessed and natural materials for building houses. The materials that will be discussed are wood, straw, cellulose, stone and hemp. Through an overview of the most significant projects, he will present his architectural oeuvre to the audience and bring closer the value and importance of sustainable lifestyles.
Matko Šišak is historian, passionate ethnologist and permaculture designer. The initiator and manager of the Vukomerić Recycled Estate and one of the founders of ZMAG. For the last 25 years, he has been researching, practicing and promoting ecological technologies and innovations in the fields of construction, do-it-yourself culture, agroecology and permaculture. Since 2006, when he and ZMAG enthusiasts built the first straw bale house in Croatia, he has built and participated in the construction of around 50 buildings of various typologies and purposes. As an educator, advisor and mentor, he systematically transfers knowledge from the aforementioned areas to the wider and expert public. He is the author of several publications and the editor of a dozen issues from the Zeleni alati edition. Founder and leader of the Academy of Natural Construction and the Convention of Natural Construction.
FILIP ŠRAJER
New role(s) of dry stone walling: few case studies from Croatia
Dry stone structures are a significant landscape feature and one of the cultural symbols of Adriatic – Dinaric Croatia. From prehistory to the mid-20th century, stone walling has been an indispensable technique for building and adapting the terrain for agriculture, and most people in rural areas had to master it to a certain degree. The significance of the skill has severely diminished since, bringing it under threat of survival; on the other hand, the public interest in dry stone walling workshops and courses has noticeably grown in recent years, fuelled not only by heritage and environmental, but also social, and even personal motifs.
Filip Šrajer, PhD in architecture, is a co-founder and key researcher at 4 GRADA DRAGODID Association. This organization has received international recognition for its education and awareness programs focused on dry stone heritage of the Eastern Adriatic area. Filip frequently delivers lectures on dry stone heritage and leads practical workshops in this field.
DUJE DOROTKA
Fishing and Deforestation: Interaction of Terrestrial and Marine Resources
Presentation provides a historical overview of traditional fishing practices for catching sardines using artificial light sources, with a particular emphasis on the impact of these activities on the intensive deforestation of the Eastern Adriatic coast and the resulting resource crisis at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Ecological and economic challenges during this period prompted technological innovations that greatly transformed this method of fishing. The story of the historical development of fishing lamps reflects the application of global discoveries at the local level in the context of fishing as one of the most important economic sectors along the coast during this period.
Duje Dorotka, an ethnologist and anthropologist with the professional title of museum curator, was born in Split and has been living on the island of Hvar since 2019. He works at the Jelsa Municipal Museum, where he performs professional museum duties, including the care of collections, research, preparation of permanent and temporary exhibitions, and, when necessary, educational work, program preparation, and interaction with users. He is the head of the Fishermen’s Collection in Vrboska.
DISCUSSION
* * *
Panel 2: The Sea
Filodrammatica, large hall (Korzo 28/1, Rijeka)
5:00 p.m.
Photo: Borut Brozović / Drugo more (Flickr gallery)
PRESENTATIONS
SVEN MARCELIĆ
Croatian tourism is primarily defined by its Adriatic orientation. The spatial distribution of tourist activities shows that more than 90% of the activities are linked to the Adriatic counties, with over 90% concentrated along the coastline. The presentation will illustrate the spatial aspect of tourism at the county and city levels, and in an urban context, it will explore its relationship with public infrastructure.
Sven Marcelić is an associate professor at the Department of Sociology at the University of Zadar. His research focuses on the sociology of development and the relationship between social and spatial dimensions, with a particular emphasis on tourist and political aspects. Lately, his special focus has been on the Adriatic region of Croatia.
NEVEN CUKROV
Our planet is strongly influenced by human activities, so we have called this era the Anthropocene. The three biggest threats are: climate change, environmental pollution, and dramatic loss biological diversity. All this is strongly reflected on the sea and oceans, and protecting these largest ecosystems on earth is equal to protecting the planet. The Adriatic is a small sea, so human influences are more pronounced. Inorganic pollutants, organic pollutants, radionuclides, solid waste, microbiological pathogens, and emerging pollutants enter it every day. What is the current situation?
Neven Cukrov is a scientific advisor at the Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute from Zagreb and currently heads the marine station Martinska near Šibenik. He is a full-time lecturer at the undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Zadar with the title of associate professor, and at the doctoral studies in oceanology at the University of Zagreb. His field of research includes anthropogenic impact on the aquatic environment by investigating biogeochemical processes in it. He studies the distribution of trace metals, natural and artificial radionuclides, and microplastics in water systems. In addition, he deals with the development of representative sampling of sediments, as well as sampling in speleological objects. His area of research is water systems, including underground water systems in karst.
HRVOJE CARIĆ
Tourism acts as a magnifier (both for good and bad). It amplifies revenue and increases environmental pressure. Therefore, monitoring and quantifying the negative aspects (pollution) throughout the entire product or service life cycle (supply chains) enable a real understanding of the risks and benefits of tourism. The current practice of ignoring risks and not tracking growth constraints is often due to deliberate or accidental lack of information and inadequacy.
Dr. Hrvoje Carić is a researcher, analyst, and project manager with 25 years of experience in the field of sustainability, as well as numerous interdisciplinary projects related to tourism, environmental protection, and sustainable development for both domestic and international organizations. He holds the position of Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Tourism, where he focuses on indicators of (un)sustainability and the application of environmental/ecological economics, as well as environmental protection and nature conservation in tourism.
DISCUSSION
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Nebojša Zelič is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, where he teaches courses related to ethics and political philosophy. In his academic work, he focuses on issues of political legitimacy and social inequality. He has been active in various initiatives and the organization of public events, for which he has received an award for the popularization of science.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The project is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.
Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of Drugo more and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.
