Society for Utopian Studies, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
In his paper presentation, Joeri Verbesselt will discuss his research on images of sea conservation and how they might (or might not) fit a seawilding paradigm. Titled “Floating Between Talking Fish and Images of the Seawilding Utopia,” the paper explores his art research on oceanic and critical animal imaginaries. Verbesselt will examine contemporary sea conservation efforts—such as oyster reef restorations by WWF Belgium and Ark Rewilding Nederland—and analyse how they utilise compelling visualisations to narrate hopeful ecological futures. The paper questions what is at stake—ethically, ecologically, and aesthetically—when ocean futures are imagined through the lens of sea conservation.
