A sea of union

“I am really happy about the start of an important project that I strongly wanted. Making the sea accessible to everyone, with the possibility of sailing, taking a dive from a boat or even simply admiring a sunset, are all normal things that for a disabled person can represent a dream, an extraordinary experience”.

With these words, Tiziana Serretta, announces Un mare di unione, the project dedicated to the fascinating marine universe that she has entirely sponsored with her “Tiziana Serretta” brand, with the aim of building inclusion and creating moments of fun and exchange between disabled and non-disabled young people, in this summer so hard marked by the aftermath of a long lockdown. A cycle of meetings organised by the Sant’Erasmo Onlus Association and entirely dedicated to the sea, navigation, the passion and adventures of seafarers and the literature dedicated to it, which starting on Tuesday 25 August and for four weeks, will enliven the mornings of twenty young people, with activities and meetings with the protagonists of the “water planet”.

This is a unique opportunity to experience the sea from a perspective that embraces the themes of ecology and sustainability from a 360-degree perspective, to educate and stimulate youngsters to respect nature and love the environment.

The exhibition is part of a larger project that aims to build a boat accessible to all, on which differently abled people will be able to navigate and experience the sea without obstacles or barriers, in complete freedom.

“While waiting to inaugurate the boat designed for the disabled in the near future, I didn’t want the young people – whom with the Nautilus Association we follow throughout the year – to feel abandoned in August, a particularly difficult time for fragile people.

I hope that these encounters can help them overcome loneliness and at the same time enrich them with new knowledge, stimulating in them a new look at the environment and its richness”. Tiziana Serretta explains.

A civil lawyer and university law lecturer in the wake of a long family tradition in law, Tiziana Serretta has been involved in art and design projects for over twenty years, combining a love of aesthetics and creativity in all its forms with social messages on topics of public interest, with a particular focus on environmental issues.

“For more than 20 years I have been involved in art projects, where art is ‘used’ as a means of communicating issues of public interest, with a focus on the environment.

One of the most interesting came about, for example, in collaboration with the prestigious Aqua Cai, to support the campaign to protect Panama’s rain forest, which was also presented in New York; another important experience was with the well-known architect Erasmo Figini, founder in Como of ‘La Cometa’, an association committed since 1987 to welcoming, educating and training children and young people, with its ‘Oliver Twist’ school: a symbol of craftsmanship excellence for fabric design, carpentry and catering, where children in an atmosphere of sensitivitỳ and kindness learn not only a trade, but also to appreciate culture and respect the environment.

I have thus created a consolidated format of initiatives focused on the relationship between art and human rights, where art is a means of raising awareness”. Says the artist.

A commitment that is in line with the UN Agenda 2030 to promote sustainable development policies with 17 goals (Sustainable Development Goals), through the language of art and fashion that can thus contribute to stimulate interest in issues of social inclusion of young people in difficulty and at the same time have an impact on raising public awareness on issues of primary interest.

Precisely in the context of the 2030 agenda, last September in New York Tiziana Serretta presented her Monolite, made of recycled material, to give a message of social commitment.

Testifying to this vision is the collaboration initiated with the WWF, which is also collaborating on the Mare di Unione with a seminar curated by Dr Chiara Siddiolo and Dr Francesco Paolo Palazzo, dedicated to the fauna and flora of the Mediterranean.

Other speakers include Prof. Silvano Riggio Professor emeritus marine biologist, Eng. Gaetano Lino Expert in underwater archaeology, Adm. Vincenzo Pace Former Manager of Protected Marine Areas, Dr. Francesco Siculiana, sailor, and Francesco Landini, diver.

At the opening of the event, on Tuesday 25 August, Tiziana Serretta will have the pleasure of being present to present the project.

Nadia Speciale, who is collaborating on the project, will also be present and says:

“I enthusiastically welcomed the proposal to collaborate on Un mare di unione, an initiative that I consider of fundamental importance. In my history of marketing, communication and culture, I have always tried to highlight and support the close link between social work and the dissemination of culture.”

A sea of all

Da martedì 25 agosto – Nautoscopio, Palermo

Program

1° incontro: Martedì 25 agosto 2020

2° incontro: Martedì 1 settembre 2020

3° incontro: Venerdì 4 settembre 2020

4° incontro: Martedì 8 settembre 2020

Rapporteurs

Prof. Silvano Riggio Professore emerito biologo marino, Ing. Gaetano Lino Esperto in archeologia subacquea, Amm. Vincenzo Pace, Ex Gestore Aree Marine Protette, Dott.ssa Chiara Siddiolo ,Biologa WWF

Dott. Paolo Palazzo, Biologo WWF

Dott. Francesco Siculiana, Esperto velista Francesco Landini Esperto subacqueo

Organizzazione

Cav. Santi Gatto Pres. Associazione Sant’Erasmo Nautilus Shaidul Hossin Abdul Volontario Ass. Sant’Erasmo