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[michaeljrea]

Storytelling to Inspire Nature

I've known the team at Eco Drama for many years now and it’s great to see how they have grown. They specialise in creating theatrical and creative learning experiences for children, young people and communities and I think they are a great example of how you can use the arts to inspire connections with nature. It's these experiences that trigger imaginations that, in turn, encourage environmental awareness and action.

That's why it was great to make some promotional films to support the launch of their new 'Out to Play' resource pack, ‘Nature Stories for Children’ in Spring 2024. The pack was created Saffron Gillies, Creative Engagement Lead and offers a selection of interactive ideas to support educators, parents / carers to deliver storytelling in a range of settings including schools, nurseries, the community or even at home.

And so, on a fairly 'diverse Scottish weather day', we spent a few hours at Craigton Primary in Glasgow, listening to some traditional tales which explore new ideas, cultural heritage and citizenship, encouraging us all to think about the natural world and what we can do to protect it. We recorded interviews with the Headteacher, Class Teachers and the pupils on how storytelling in nature can impact learning in school and beyond. I was so impressed with the articulation of the young people that it made my job so much easier!

I think in terms of Eco-Literacy, the 'Nature Stories for Children’ programme really delivers from the ground up; everyone can get involved and does. And this model, if you like, is exactly what we need if our goal is to establish an environmentally literate society to help tackle the many challenges we face going forward.

To find out more about the work of Eco Drama and the 'Out to Play' programme you can check out their website here.

[michaeljrea]

Podcast for #IWD2024

🎙️ Really good fun this morning shooting a #Podcast @StirUni for #InternationalWomensDay with @hermionemiao and Gillian Fleming CEO @MintVentures

3 camera 4K setup with #c70 #R8 and #bmpcc4k using  #SEX1S microphones, 32bit float into #F3 🔥

Overkill, but us geeks love it. 🤓

[michaeljrea]

Moldova’s Rivers provide stunning backdrop for Black Sea Documentary

In my communications role for Horizon 2020 EU project Doors Black Sea I was tasked in producing a Black Sea documentary, profiling the region, touching on it’s unique history and explaining some of the environmental challenges it faces. So, over the course of 1 year I travelled all around gathering interviews with experts and citizens, visiting some of the most incredible places I’ve ever seen.

The final trip on this journey was at the end of August 2023 and it took us away from the coast itself, 100s of miles inland to Moldova to investigate the impact of rivers on the Black Sea. As Associate Professor Tudor Castraveț from Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University explains, that for Moldovan citizens, ‘it’s difficult to understand they are part of the Black Sea basin populations because they are not in direct contact with the sea’. However, it’s through the rivers, not only from the Dniester that runs through Moldova, but all around Europe, that place significant pressures on the ecosystem of the Black Sea itself.

Some of Europe’s longest and largest rivers flow into the Black Sea, including the Danube, the largest tributary, as well as the Dnieper, Dniester and the Don. This catchment represents a huge area encompassing 23 countries where 190 million people live. As an example, the Danube River begins in Germany’s Black Forest and flows some 2,850km through cities, valleys and wide gorges before reaching the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine. Consequently, Black Sea water quality is largely dependant on human activities in these drainage locations – run-off from agriculture, industry, household waste water, and now plastics and microplastics – all make their way to the sea, the endpoint of the system, causing eutrophication, plastic pollution, and chemical contamination.

As Elena Culighin, Environmental Researcher & Executive Director of National Environment Centre, explains in the film, ‘Water and rivers are basically the veins and arteries of Earth, and it doesn’t depend on the distance from where we are established’. This is perhaps the most critical message we can make about the health of the Black Sea. The responsibility is not only on coastal and regional communities, but its Europe-wide. It’s on all of us to play a part and understand the impact we, as humans, make to our planet.

The trip around Moldova took us to Vadul lui Vodă (Dniester), Trebujeni (Răut River), Costești-Stânca reservoir (Prut River) and a few other places in between. It’s a fantastic country to visit, wonderful landscapes, with great local produce and wine. I’d like to specially thank Tudor and Viorica Castraveț, Vitalie Dilan, Iradion Jechiu and Elena Culighin for all their efforts and hospitality. I’ll never forget it.

The Full Black Sea Documentary (25 mins) is available here and all images from the trip can be found here on Flickr.

[michaeljrea]

Galway hosts key Ocean Observation talks

For my first ever trip to Galway in Ireland I had the pleasure working with EuroGOOS, producing photos and film assets for their 10th International Conference. It brought together over 160 in-person participants and covered all aspects of operational oceanography and its societal relevance.

This project coincides neatly with my work on EU Horizon projects, DOORS Black Sea and DANUBIUS-RI, in stimulating discussions on UN Ocean Decade, Digital Twin Ocean, European Ocean Observing System (EOOS), and Future Look for Operational Oceanography.

The event marked the 10th anniversary of the international EuroGOOS Conference and nearly 30 years of the EuroGOOS organization, which was founded in 1994 as the European implementer of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Following a summer where we witnessed record ocean temperatures across the globe in a series of marine heatwaves, there was universal calls to bolster ocean observation services in order to monitor and understand these trends. Equally, was the need for increased Ocean Literacy, but not just for schools and general citizens but professionals, policymakers and scientist themselves. The entire sector needs to be able to explain its work and value so we can all be in a position to make informed decisions on how we tackle climate change in our own lives.

You will find pictures from the Conference in a news piece on the EuroGOOS website as well as a series of short social media films covering the main issues raised by the event.

[michaeljrea]

Tackling water quality in Ukraine

It was fantastic to make a short film for the University of Stirling on their new joint research project with academics from Odesa State Environmental University, aimed at improving water in Ukraine.

I work with both sets of colleagues on DOORS Black Sea, a Horizon 2020 EU project, and its great to see new connections and partnerships forming with the people I already know well. This initiative draws on University of Stirling's pioneering expertise in monitoring water quality using remote satellite technology and optical water sensors.

This is particularly relevant for Ukraine whose ability to conduct traditional water sampling and measurements has been removed as a result of the war. Access to water bodies in Ukraine are currently restricted due to military operations. Furthermore, ongoing Russian attacks are destroying vital infrastructure, including the Kakhovka Dam and hydroelectric power plant, and damaging water pumping stations, purification plants and wastewater treatment facilities, causing contamination of ground and surface waters.

During the two-week visit the group carried out experiments in the University laboratories and at Loch Lomond. During the visit, staff and students received hands-on experience in the use of bio-optics and radiometry sensors in the field. This was followed up with training in analysis of water samples at Stirling laboratories and using Earth Observation techniques using free-to-access data from Copernicus satellites.

This project is part of a £4.42 million funding package available to universities across the UK to help fortify research capacity in Ukraine’s universities, preventing a brain drain of academic talent and ensuring the country’s universities can play a critical role in post-war reconstruction. 

[michaeljrea]

Just back from a great few days in #Brussels for our 18 month review for Horizon 2020 News project @doorsblacksea - really positive comments on our work so far; a great team effort in revolutionising #BlackSea research for #BlueGrowth opportunities.

Check out what we do 👉 www.doorsblacksea.eu

[michaeljrea]

Moredunvale Projections

Seeing one of my films projected on the side of a towerblock was a first for me, so i'm thrilled to share this project in collaboration with WAVEparticle and award-winning architects Anderson Bell & Christie who are leading a community project to improve an existing greenspace at Moredunvale for the City of Edinburgh Council.

The project will rejuvenate an existing 5 hectare greenspace to create an exciting new neighbourhood park. The project will improve accessibility within the park, provide play opportunities for a wide range of age groups, introduce new tree and meadow planting, and provide gathering spaces from which to enjoy uninterrupted views to Arthur’s Seat.

Image: The outdoor projection event was a very effective way of raising awareness © Michael Rea .

A week long artist-led consultation event led by WAVEparticle was held during the Summer of 2022, where we ran workshops and interviewed local people about the project, to establish a range of priority park improvements. I made a short documentary film based on these interactions and it aims to tell the story of the space, why greenspace is important for people and what they would like to see happen.

Film: Short documentary about the greenspace and the changes people would like to see © Michael Rea .

The initial consultation and design work culminated in a wonderful outdoor projection event where the film and other visuals were projected onto the side of the tower blocks. It's a really intresting way to enegage communities with each other and think about the spaces they live in. And for a camera-geek like me, It also makes for very atmospheric night photography - this was defintiely something you won't see everyday!

Image: The brilliant WAVEparticle team © Michael Rea .

Credits: The City of Edinburgh Council, Faithful + Gould, Anderson Bell & Christie Architects, WAVEparticle, TRANCND, Moredun Multi Residents Association, Gilmerton & Inch Community Council, Michael Rea (Video anf Photography)

All Images from the projection event can be viewed here on my Flickr page.

[michaeljrea]

Diving for methane in Bulgaria

On a short trip to Varna, as part of my commuications role on the Horizon 2020 project, DOORS, I joined researchers from Ifremer, IO-BAS and GeoMarine who were conducting essential assessment work in two locations: at Varna Lake and at Zelenka on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

This 4 year project aims to transform the way scientific research of the Black Sea is conducted, and at the same time, stimulate an emerging blue economy in the region. There's a lot of travel, which I love, and its been great fun promoting the scientific work of researchers to the wider world. This fieldtrip to Varna in Bulgaria, looks at the innovative ways they are working to monitor water quality which is essential for local economies, population health and wider society.

The Black Sea is subject to large amounts of organic matter and pollution transported by the rivers. The degradation of this material over time has contributed to uniquely high concentrations of gases, notably Hydrogen Sulphide and Methane that emit from the seafloor. This has made the Black Sea the largest anoxic water body on earth, where below 150-200m depths there is not enough oxygen to support marine life, except only some forms of bacteria.

Image: Dr Anton Antonov from GeoMarine Ltd on the DOORS buoy on Varna Lake, replacing the sensor. © DOORS Black Sea

As part of the DOORS project two remote sensor buoys have been installed on Varna Lake which measure various water parameters in real time. At 20-minute intervals, data on water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, methane concentrations and pH redux is sent over GSM to DOORS researchers. This represents a promising step forward in monitoring capability for the area but also provides essential data to allow future modelling for large scale deployments further out in the Black Sea.

It is feared the impact of climate change will accelerate gas discharges from the seafloor. Methane, in particular is a powerful greenhouse gas which can contribute to acidification of the sea itself and potentially become a huge carbon source if it makes its way into the atmosphere. The warmer weather in summertime tends to yield higher concentrations of methane emissions and this September field trip targets a time when the seawater is at its hottest.

Image: The dive location was about 200m off the coast at Zelenka. © DOORS Black Sea

A key part of this study is to compare the performance of 2 methane sensors for in situ measurements, firstly, on the instrumented buoy in Varna Lake, and to measure methane fluxes both at the sediment water column interface, and at the sea surface-air interface at Zelenka on the coastal environment. However, as I was able to witness first hand, the process of measuring and monitoring these gases in the Black Sea is not easy. It involves a lot of equipment and requires relatively calm conditions to do the work. A specialist dive team from Ifremer and IO-BAS were able to locate methane seepages from the seafloor around 200m off the shore at Zelenka, and take underwater samples for analysis.

Image: The dive team from Ifremer and IO-BAS. © DOORS Black Sea

The overall aim is to interpret the data to better understand the environmental factors (current, storm, water temperature, earthquake, etc.) that control methane fate at the coastal Black Sea water column, including Varna Lakes and the Zelenka seep-site. The preliminary findings will be shared by DOORS researchers at the MARblue conference on 26-28th October in Constanta where they will further discuss the challenges associated with this kind of monitoring.

All Images from the fieldwork campaign can be viewed here on Flickr.

[michaeljrea]

Filming on the Black Sea for DOORS

Image: Adi Iacob filming for HotNews.ro. © DOORS Black Sea

Last week saw the start of location filming for DOORS Black Sea with a trip to the Danube Delta. As part of the communications team for the €9m European H2020 project, one of our tasks is to make a short documentary explaining the environmental and economic sitation in the region. As you would expect, the eyes of the world are on the Black Sea at the moment and we were delighted to be joined by the media team from HotNews.ro who were doing a piece on the environmental impacts of the queuing ships waiting to enter the Sulina canal as a result of the war in Ukraine.

The 3 day tour of the area, led by Dr Adrian Stănică, DOORS Project Coordinator and Director of GeoEcoMar firstly took us to the Black Sea Danube mouths, critical navigational routes for trade, and a place where the freshwater meets marine water. There, we could witness first hand more than 100 large ships from several countries, many loaded with Ukrainian grain, waiting to make their way back out to sea and around the world.

Image: Dr Adrian Stănică navigating through a Danube Delta canal. © DOORS Black Sea

The situation is a true indicator of the impact of the war on the Black Sea. Ukraine is the world’s leading wheat exporter, accounting for 9% of the global market. It also accounts for 42% of the sunflower oil market and 16% of world corn production. Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports not to mention the dangers of floating mines along the coast, has meant an estimated 25m tons of wheat are stuck in Ukraine, pushing up world grain prices.

While it is unclear at this moment the environmental impact the war is having on the marine waters without scientific analysis, there are fears about the increased risk of oil spills and other contamination that could affect what is already a very fragile ecosystem.

Image: Cristian Teodoru from GeoEcoMar analysing some water samples from Lake Rosu. © DOORS Black Sea

Our second day saw us head inland to the Danube Delta lakes including one of the largest, Lake Rosu, which historically was once connected to the Black Sea but today the gradient channels prevent saltwater intrusion into the lakes. Researchers from GeoEcoMar conducted some water sampling. While there have been attempts to dredge several channels to deliver more oxygen-rich water into the Delta with the aim of increasing fish populations, these areas remain largely eutrophic, making it difficult for fish stocks to thrive and survive. As a result, the fishing industry in the Danube Delta has decreased significantly in recent years.

Image: Lake Rosu, one of the largest lakes in the Danube Delta © DOORS Black Sea

The trip has highlighted the delicate relationship between marine and freshwater interaction alongside the industries that we, as humans all depend on in our lives.

You can follow DOORS Black Sea through our website and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

Images from the trip can be viewed here on Flickr.

The hotnews.ro article (Romanian) and video can be viewed here.

[michaeljrea]

Delighted to be making a film about #colouringadulteczema a national engagement #art project, led by Dr. Sinead Langan @lshtm created by @juliavogl_socialsculpture @peterdavidhudson

The work was produced from a series of nationwide workshops with adults living with eczema in the summer of 2019 and aims to which aims to challenge stereotypes about adult eczema in society and how the condition affects long-term health and social outcomes.Sculpture is now exhibited @uofglasgow Advanced Research Building - Check it out:

Open till Wednesday July 20th, Monday-Friday 10-5pmat University of Glasgow, Advanced Research Centre - 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow G11 6EW

[michaeljrea]

Hydro Nation Chair Launch

Delighted to be involved in the launch of the Scotland Hydro Nation Chair Programme to bring Scotland’s water sector together to drive #NetZero, led by Professor Andrew Tyler, hosted by University of Stirling and funded by Scottish Water. We produced a series of films, portrait team photographs and website for the project.

Scotland Hydro Nation Chair role sees Professor Tyler lead a £3.5 million initiative to position the country as a global leader in water research, maximising Scotland’s academic water impact, international reputation and engagement with wider sectors to deliver the knowledge and capability required to enable transformative change and to attain net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

In the space of 6 weeks were were able to make 8 profile films on each of the team members, involving on-location filming, drone footage and finally integrate all that into a website, driven by social media. I'm really happy with the way it has turned out, with everything update-able in-house and simple to use, making it an ideal platform for the team to engage with the wider community and stakeholders.

Follow the programme on social media @H20NationChair (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) and www.hydronationchair.scot to find ways to connect research and innovation opportunities with funding opportunities available to drive initiatives forward to enable #NetZero for the Scottish water sector and support a flourishing Scotland. Please share widely!

[michaeljrea]

Energy Action Scotland: Warm at home

Great to be producing this short film with @cowbroughPR and @sustscot about a fantastic initiative that supports people with a cancer diagnosis to upgrade and improve the energy efficiency of their heating systems. 

[michaeljrea]

Second Chancers Exhibition

Here’s a film I got to make about the #SecondChancers exhibition currently on at University of Stirling's Pathfoot Building with The Art Collection team and Community Justice Scotland  - If you're local, it’s a thought provoking look at the criminal justice system in Scotland. Well worth a wee trip along.

The Second Chancers exhibition, displayed in the Pathfoot Building in the University of Stirling, explores individual experience of the Community Justice system in Scotland. This exhibition is delivered in conjunction with Community Justice Scotland, Stirling Community Justice Partnership, Stirling Community Planning Partnership and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University. 

It is part of the Art Collection theme of exhibitions during 2021-2022 entitled ‘The Art of Wellbeing’. Further info about Second Chancers available here: https://secondchancers.tv/

[michaeljrea]

‘Vets in Diversity’ Podcast launch

I'm delighted to finally share the ‘Vets in Diversity’ Podcast series, produced for The University of Edinburgh, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Medicine. Recorded through the pandemic,  we spoke to students, university staff and leaders within the veterinary profession about race equality, diversity and inclusion within education.

This series includes 10 episodes, which look to unfold some of the challenges and intersectionality faced by BAME people entering a profession, where 97% of vets registered in the UK consider themselves from white ethnic backgrounds.  Episodes range from the challenges that BAME people face in accessing higher education at high tariff universities to mental health support, decolonising the curriculum, dealing with COVID, racism and BLM.

From a producer's persepctive, the series features a mixture of in-person and remote interviews. I used my Rodecaster Pro desk and a range of mics for different guests inluding Rode Procaster, DSB-1 (custom made dynamic), Shure KSM32, Aston Element, Lewitt MTP 740CM, Sennheiser MKH416 and sE Electronics X1S. We even used a Mackie EM-91CU as a 'mailout mic' for remote guests, recording through the Riverside.fm platform.

This podcast series is aimed at anyone interested in learning more about race equality, diversity and inclusion, thinking about going to vet school, currently a vet student, graduate, employer, teacher, guidance counsellor, parent or someone simply interested in finding a good podcast series.  This series will take listeners on a thought provoking and inspirational journey.

The series is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

[michaeljrea]

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it's finally here! Today we launch #Episode01 of the @doorsblacksea Podcast We chat to @ShepelNataliya student from #Ukraine at #COP26 to talk about the challenges facing the #BlackSea and her interest in #OceanScience. Available on all platforms: https://bit.ly/3AZUDbq

[michaeljrea]

‘Water Works’ art documentary

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative is responding to the growing number of cities around the world embracing art as an effective and relatively low-cost strategy to activate their streets, with interventions on plazas and pavements, crossings and intersections, and other transportation infrastructure. The space outside Anderston Station was an ideal candidate for revitalisation.

The design team was led by Civic Engineers and designer Gabriella Marcella who have worked together to improve the connection to and from the city centre as well as the sense of welcome and safety. Marcella’s design is painted on the ground and columns outside the entrance to the Station and has a significant environmental theme, being inspired by environmental challenges the city faces with excessive rain and water runoff.

Raingardens with shrubs and herbs were also introduced to the space, and offer an effective and attractive way to reduce flood risk and treat surface water runoff whilst also helping provide additional biodiversity and a greater sense of place to city centre streetscapes. By capturing rainfall rain gardens also provide an effective water treatment process, by filtering the water, removing contaminants such as oils and metals deposited from the roads and pathways. This allows for a cleaner outflow which helps protect the environment.

The film was made over about a month and charts the progress of the painting using some timelapse photography, video and interviews on site. It was an extremely hostile environment meant in terms of sound with the M8 above us and busy traffic either side, and we were also subject to all weathers (which it think made it more interesting!). the film was shot mainly on the BMPCC4K but I also used a little bit of EOS R, A6500 (timelapse), DJI Mavic Mini 2 and even the OG BMPCC for a couple of the early timelapses (like a psychopath!).

It always great working with WaveParticle who are always keen to search for the heart of stories, capturing a sense of place as the the community talks to itself about what public space can and should be. So rather than something that’s overly ‘corporate’ I’d like to think we have created more of a 'thinkpiece’ documentary that captures a moment in time, mid pandemic, where these ideas were at the forefront of people’s minds.

Find out more about the project at http://www.glasgowwaterworks.com

[michaeljrea]

The last ‘Vets in Diversity’ Podcast

Recorded our final #VetsInDiversity #podcast on Wednesday @TheDickVet with Milli, Chantelle and Calum on Wednesday. Can’t wait for the series to be launched, I’m really proud of all the work everyone put into this. Sadly my cable management skills have not improved 🤣