Public Engagement Festival

Type	Public Engagement Festival
Duration	Half-day event
Audience	Public • Families • Students • NGOs
Location	FH JOANNEUM, Graz, Austria
Reach	150+ visitors
Partners	FH JOANNEUM • NGOs • Artists • Designers

A free interdisciplinary festival bringing the ocean to a landlocked country through science, art and storytelling.

The Challenge

Austria is a landlocked country, meaning many people have limited opportunities to experience or learn about marine ecosystems. The festival was designed to bring the ocean closer to the public, demonstrating that everyone can play a role in protecting our blue planet while making ocean science engaging, interactive and accessible.

Festival Concept

In collaboration with FH JOANNEUM, I planned and directed the Ocean & Water Day Festival, a free public event celebrating ocean and freshwater conservation through science, creativity and community. The exhibition design was created together with exhibition designers Josephine Brunner and Maria Puzzo.

The festival combined an interactive exhibition, educational experiences and film into one immersive event.

For the festival’s visual identity, I developed a design concept inspired by cyanotype algae prints. Chosen for its symbolic connection to both art and science, algae represent life in both marine and freshwater ecosystems—reflecting the festival’s focus on ocean and water conservation. The exhibition also featured original cyanotype algae prints created by me, complemented by risograph-printed exhibition graphics designed by our exhibition team.

Visitors explored exhibitions by ocean and freshwater conservation NGOs, discovered ocean-inspired artworks by Lea Dora Fricke, Elena Turac and students from the Institute of Design & Communication (IDK) at FH JOANNEUM, and experienced interactive stations designed to introduce Mediterranean marine life and coastal habitats.

The event also marked the official launch of Beaches & Beyond, our free educational campaign for Mediterranean beach visitors.

The evening programme featured ocean conservation films by female filmmakers followed by a panel discussion on the role of media in conservation with myself and science communicator Rasa’s Welt.

Audience

Families, students, educators, conservation organisations and the wider public.

Impact

• 150+ visitors
• Launch of the Beaches & Beyond campaign
• Collaboration between NGOs, artists, designers and scientists
• Increased public engagement with ocean and freshwater conservation

My Role

Creative Direction • Festival Concept • Programme Curation • Exhibition Co-Design • Partnership Development • Campaign Launch • Event Production • Panel Speaker