Concrete Lover

Making the Invisible Visible is a multi-layered, multi-format, multi-discipline communication campaign whose main aim is protection of underwater biodiversity. The main objective of the action is to translate complex scientific data into language understandable to a wider public in order to better understand environmental threats and the benefits of nature protection regulations. The campaign builds on the opportunities protection creates for ecological recovery and nature’s capacity to regenerate, while recognising the threats that can undermine its effectiveness: coastal construction, nautical tourism and sea traffic, rising sea levels, and overfishing. The backbone of the project is the naturally occuring Island-Trapped Waves phenomenon and the local and scientific communities working in tandem in order to instate a specific protection zone.

The audiovisual work Concrete Lover by artist Marieke Leene consists of 3D animated video and accompanying poem which tackles the ever-growing problem of unrestricted coastal building, concretization of the shoreline and the overuse of concrete around the island. Along with overtourism, unrestricted fishery and marine traffic, coastal building and destruction of natural microhabitats is one of the main problems affecting biodiversity on Croatian islands, especially Hvar and Lastovo. The work features concrete being poured around well-known areas around Hvar and Jelsa, warning against the uncontrolled use of concrete which destroys natural flora and fauna habitats.