v 2023 Activations
Patina Maldives, Fari Islands
OCTOBER COSMOPOLITAN OCEAN 26.10 - 29.10
Indian Ocean has been a zone of human interactions throughout history. The long millennia of trade networks that reached far inland to Africa and outward to the Middle East, India and China drove deep material, intellectual and cultural exchange, so that the peoples of these ports had more in common with each other than we would think. This cosmopolitan world is not only a story of cities on the shores but the sea itself. We do not see the ocean as a passive backdrop to the human movement. In the age of rising sea levels and climate change, we deliberately bring the ocean to the center of our perspective - as theater of human connection. We reimagine Fari Islands as the site of what might have been the first cross-cultural festival in human history - an annual celebration that drew diverse travelers from across the ancient world for singing, dancing, feasting to find themselves a new sanctuary in the stimulation of body, mind and spirit. Cosmopolitan Ocean brings artists, healing practitioners and entertainers to reinterpret the story of cross-cultural festival, building a metaphorical bridge between the globalised communities of today and ancient Indian Ocean. A four-day festival of arts, music and new knowledge celebrate the legacy and future of oceanic cosmopolitanism. Fashion Can we reimagine the intricate relationship between the circle of life and the life-giving ocean, using art and fashion as catalysts to understand that interconnectedness? We find answers in the depth of creativity - through groundbreaking artistic expressions, the development of eco-friendly materials, and innovative product designs - all centered around an ecological approach. A much anticipated STAMPD x Patina Maldives capsule collection with LA-based streetwear designer Chris Stamp will be unveiled. Art Pamela Longobardi is Oceanic Society’s Artist-in-Nature, a Distinguished Professor at Georgia State University, and an internationally exhibiting and award-winning artist. In 2006, she founded Drifters Project, a global collaborative artistic research project that is investigating ocean plastic through art, activism, and social change. With Pamela a large scale, permanent art installation will be unveiled. Healing Avery Whitmore is a Los Angeles based Healing Arts Practitioner who is deeply committed to the transformative powers of sound, breath, and meditation. Join Avery’s healing sessions throughout the event. Ocean Impact & Sound With Haeckels, Cosmopolitan Ocean limited-edition scent will be unveiled during the opening sound ritual and reception, and Welsh electronic musician Kelly Lee Owens, best known for crafting hypnotic sonic dreamscapes interspersed with her distinctive falsetto voice, will perform the soundscape session inspired by the bespoke scent. Celebration The Maldives was situated at a key location along the Maritime Silk Road and the Spice Route. It is this unprecedented mobility of peoples that drove material, intellectual and cultural exchange making The Indian Ocean a theatre of human history. Fari Islands Team Race will take place in the stunning waters of Fari Islands to showcase the natural beauty of Fari Islands and the Maldives.
