Seawalls Project

Between the 29^th of April and the 4^th of May artists from all over the world descended upon our little island to take part in the Sea Walls project.

Sea Walls, whose motto is ‘Artists for Oceans’ is the public art program of the PangeaSeed Foundation. Their aim is to bring the oceans to the streets of the world using large-scale public murals and installations, educating and inspiring individuals and communities through ARTivism.

This international non-profit organization works to help people and communities develop a better global understanding about the plight of our oceans and promotes the need to protect and conserve their valuable resources. It hopes to empower individuals and communities in creating meaningful environmental change for oceans through Science, Education and Art.

Their name comes from the ‘Pangea’ – the Ancient Greek word for ‘entire earth’ - and ‘seed’ which conjures up an image of growth, progress and evolution. ‘Seed’ also being an acronym for ‘Sustainability, Education, Ecology and Design.

We spoke to Bner, who is from the Yucatan but now lives here in Cozumel. He was working on a huge piece of art on the malecón close to the Mega supermarket.

Bner said that he was one of approximately 25 artists in the Seawalls Cozumel project as this art initiative returns to Cozumel – after the first round in 2015 - and that the artists involved come from all over the world: from Spain, Argentina, United Kingdom and even as far as Australia and New Zealand. He told me that the costs for the visiting artists (accommodation, food, etc…) were covered entirely by donations from local people, sponsorship by local businesses and support from the PangeaSeed Foundation itself, including the paints.

As there was some rain expected in the next few days we asked if this would affect the murals but he assured us by saying that artists are working mainly with acrylics, which dry quickly.

With the project now completed we have had a chance to walk around town and view most of these pieces of amazing artwork. You can get some idea of how incredible they are from the attached photos. However, if you are planning a trip to Cozumel you will be able to see these stunning murals for yourself and learn the messages they mean to convey.