Manama, November 2 (BNA) The Bahrain National Museum hosted the opening ceremony of the “Living Sea” exhibition, in which wonderful underwater photographs of Prince Hussain Aga Khan and Simon Piccoli documentaries were shown on Wednesday, November 2, 2022.
After its successful opening in Venice, Italy, “Living Sea” has stopped in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The opening ceremony was attended by Prince Hussain Aga Khan, His Excellency the President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, and Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Arab Regional Center for Culture and Antiquities. World Heritage and; In addition to a number of ministers and ambassadors.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage, and Focused on Nature, the Swiss association established by Hussain Aga Khan to promote, through photography, awareness of environmental issues and to fund some of the world’s best charities for specific species and related ecosystems. Importance and marine biodiversity.
The custom-made exhibition showcases the work of famous artists, photographer Prince Hussain Aga Khan and videographer Simon Piccoli, and offers a stunning look at the marine biodiversity of Tonga, Mexico and Egypt for Bahraini audiences.
Valuable collaborations with Prince Hussain Aga Khan and Simon Piccoli and Focused on Nature reveal the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ commitment to environmental issues and the protection of marine landscapes.
Prince Hussain Aga Khan, a photographer and author of books whose photographic work has been shown worldwide, and Simon Piccoli, director of award-winning underwater documentaries, met in November 2014 on a dolphin expedition that Simon was guiding in Sataya, the Red Sea.
Their passion for marine life took them on a fascinating journey to explore the hidden deep-sea wonders of Egypt, where giant groups of dolphins swim on a long platform and where the exotic and calm dugong can be seen nearby grazing. In the following years, Hussain and Simon set their sights on Vava’u, one of Tonga’s two main islands, where whales give birth in its deep waters every summer.
Amazing adventure in hidden underwater wonders
Through his extraordinary vivid images, Prince Hussain Aga Khan takes exhibition visitors to the Kingdom of Tonga, where thousands of people come from all over the world to watch and swim with humpback whales during the summer.
In fact, these mammals, especially adult humpback whales, average 15 meters in length and weigh up to 40 tons. In Mexico, Hussain Aga Khan, accompanied by Simon Piccoli, visited the Rivagejedo Islands off the coast of Mexico.
These waters are known to host huge species of animals for breeding, such as oceanic manta rays, silverfish, white-headed, silky sharks, hammerhead sharks, and giant whale sharks: the largest fish in the sea that also feeds on plankton. Only, in addition to the oceanic manta, fish whose wingspan reaches 7 meters.
The Living Sea, on the other hand, takes visitors on a journey through the Red Sea, Egypt, specifically the Sataya and Elphinstone Reefs. In fact, Sataya is one of the largest and most beautiful reefs in the world called Dolphin Reefs, a five-meter-long reef where several centuries of long-snouted dolphins come every day to Sataya to rest and play.
Located 12 kilometers offshore and about 30 kilometers from Marsa Alam, Elphinstone Reef is also famous for being one of the few places on earth where one can dive with hawksbill turtles.
Awareness activities aimed at protecting and preserving marine life
The “Living Sea” exhibition highlights the efforts made to conserve marine life, and emphasizes the importance of protecting the biodiversity of marine organisms from human activities such as overfishing, shipping, dumping toxic materials and residues into the sea and the consequent risks of similar activities that lead to Degradation of the habitat and livelihood of these marine animals.
In a special section of the exhibition, there is important and detailed information on marine animal species, such as cetaceans, turtles, sharks, fin fish such as seals, sea lions, etc., and their endangered categories, with figures revealing their importance. The number of these animals has declined around the world over the past decades.
“Focus on nature”
A Swiss association set up by Prince Hussein Aga Khan to promote, through photography, awareness of environmental causes and to fund some of the world’s best charities for specific species and ecosystems of interest.
FON grew out of the idea that raising awareness and engaging the public in some environmental education might not be enough. Hence a fund has been set up to fund some of the world’s best wildlife charities for specific species and ecosystems of interest. They are selected and screened through a process of consultation with FON experts, committed advisors and contacts – or through literature review – organizations working to conserve sharks, cetaceans, Mobulid rays, African elephants, rhinos, rainforests and monkeys receive annual donations.
Grant recipients include the Shark and Attached Fin Conservation Trust, Manta Trust, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Wild Dolphin Project, Rainforest Trust and Re: wild, Wildlife Conservation Society and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, as well as Oceana and the Jane Goodall Institute. .
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