Golden Ecklonia. Photo by Prue Francis.
Ocean LAB
Thinking with Golden Eklonia:
An Immersive Kelp Experience
SAT 12 APR
11.00AM—1.00PM
FREE ATTENDANCE
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Platform Arts is wheelchair-accessible via our Gheringhap St entrance. Unlocked, accessible bathrooms are available on both ground and first floors.
Please see our CONTACT page for more information. For further accessibility enquiries, please directly contact us at hello@platformarts.org.au
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THU 20 FEB
THE CLOUD MAKER
Te Kahureremoa Taumata, Aviva Endean, Freya Schack-Arnott, Maria Moles, and Sunny KimFRI 21 FEB—THU 17 APR
HONEY FINGERS COLLECTIVE
Exhibition opening event: Friday 21 FEBFRI 21 MAR —SAT 22 MAR
SLIP
Rebecca Jensen + Aviva EndeanGOLDEN ECKLONIA: An immersive kelp experience
A groundbreaking installation where art meets science on the shores of Geelong.
Experience the mesmerising world of golden ecklonia in a groundbreaking installation where art meets science on the shores of Geelong.
Ocean LAB invites you to explore the hidden wonders of Australia's Great Southern Reef through a multisensory journey that bridges land and sea. Begin your adventure with a guided sound walk and listening experience at Eastern Beach, where underwater acoustics reveal the rich symphony of marine life dwelling beneath the waves. Let the haunting songs of the ocean guide you through this unique ecosystem, as you discover the intricate connections between freshwater and saltwater environments that shape our coastal identity.
The journey continues at Platform Arts, where cutting-edge technology brings you face-to-face with the kelp restoration supporting the 8,000 kilometres of Australia's southern coastline. This innovative installation explores local efforts to protect and promote the Great Southern Reef—a biodiversity hotspot spanning five states that remains one of Australia's best-kept natural secrets. Through immersive soundscapes, visual artistry, and scientific insight, Ocean LAB creates a space where audiences can contemplate their relationship with golden ecklonia. As climate change threatens these underwater forests, this exhibition serves as both a celebration of their beauty and a call to action for their protection.
Participants will meet at Eastern Beach for a relaxed, educational sound walk leading to Platform Arts, inviting the group to reflect and converse on the experience in a Q&A with the Ocean LAB artists and Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Corrina Eccles.
Attendance is free, but booking is required.
This unique project is brought to the community as a free, accessible event through support from a City of Greater Geelong Arts Project grant.
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Ocean LAB merges art, science and technology to connect and engage the wider community to the seaweed biodiversity of Australia’s Great Southern Reef.
Ocean LAB is marine scientist Prue Francis and artists Vicki Hallett and Fiona Hillary.
“Through shared experiences of fieldwork, we are interested in how our collaboration can foster a sense of stewardship inviting participants and audiences to (re)imagine their oceanic entanglements.”
Prue Francis is a Wadawurrung-based marine scientist specialising in seaweed cultivation techniques for improved seaweed restoration. Prue is passionate about raising awareness and knowledge about the Great Southern Reef to inspire marine stewardship.
Vicki Hallett is a Wadawurrung-based musician, field recordist, sound artist and composer. Her focus is to feature habitats and species and often utilises sounds we rarely or cannot hear. Vicki records subterranean, aquatic, and atmospheric sounds and creates works that reveal a wondrous world existing beyond our limited senses.
Fiona Hillary is a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist/academic working in the public realm. Her passion lies in site-specific practices and the human/non-human/more-than-human relationships that reveal themselves across time.
