„Living at the Urban Seafront": International photography exhibition project receives status as an UN Ocean Decade Activity

The long-term goal of this cooperation is to establish an inter- and transdisciplinary research and transfer network on the topic of "Coastal Protection and Building Culture in Urban Areas". The project is funded as part of HSB's ‘Region in Transition’ research cluster.

Prof. Dr. Christian von Wissel, Subject Area of Urban Theory at HSB:

‘Living at the Urban Seafront’ manifests the interdisciplinary and international orientation of HSB. With b.zb, the university has an important transfer partner in the city, and with the Goethe-Institut Indonesia, Universitas Indonesia, it has two renowned international partners brought together in the Polis-sea network. The consideration of the interface between flood protection and public space from the viewpoint of building culture (Baukultur) enables us to find answers to the pressing questions of our time together.’

About the status as an UN-Ocean-Decade-Activity

The United Nations Ocean Decade is a global campaign to develop a sustainable and healthy relationship with the ocean. As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it builds scientific capacity and generates transformative ocean science solutions through global collaboration. As an activity of the Ocean Decade, the project ’Living at the Urban Seafront' complements the technical and scientific approaches to marine and coastal protection with a cultural and social science perspective. It highlights the ocean as a social issue and empowers civil society through a public dialogue on the added architectural value of flood defences. By promoting critical reflection on rising sea levels and the value of the ocean, the project contributes to the Decade Outcome of an 'inspiring and engaging ocean'.

Photography exhibition in Bremen in March and in Jakarta in May

In March 2025, a photo exhibition at the Bremen Centre for Building Culture will showcase selected works by local photographers that were created as part of a competition in Jakarta. In May, the exhibition will then be shown at the Goethe-Institut in Jakarta (Indonesia). The exhibition of works from Jakarta will be complemented by existing photographs from Bremen. The visual dialogue between Jakarta and Bremen strengthens the interdisciplinary awareness beyond scientific circles in order to derive local options for dealing with the consequences of climate change from the experience of globally shared challenges and to generate new ideas for possible adaptations.

International Jury

A multidisciplinary jury of six members from Bremen/ Germany and Jakarta/ Indonesia will select the photographic entries for the competition, which will be exhibited at the Bremen Centre for Building Culture and the Goethe-Institute Indonesia, Jakarta. The international jury consists of the following members:

Irene Barlian is an independent documentary photographer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her documentary photographic interest primarily focuses on social, environmental, cultural, and women's stories. In 2022, Irene was granted the Objectifs Documentary Award while shortlisted for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award and Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award. Her works were recently exhibited in Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Austria, and Romania. Irene is a National Geographic Explorer, a part of VII Academy, and Women Photograph. Irene Barlian has contributed works to publications worldwide.

Ulrike Heine has worked as a visual studies scholar and curator at the intersection of science, technology, and art in the US and Germany. In 2019, she published a monograph on photography and climate change. Dr. Ulrike Heine currently heads the office of the German Committee of the UN Ocean Decade (ODK).

Sigit D. Pratama is a film production designer, music festival designer and art exhibition designer specialist. He started his career as a professional photographer. He is a founder of this/PLAY Studio, one among few art consultants in Indonesia, that frequently collaborates with international artists by exhibiting their artworks throughout Indonesia and regions. His vision and passion as a production designer are to fill the gap between stories and visual presentations.

Jan-Philipp Possmann is a dramaturg, producer and curator and has worked with numerous international artists and developed and curated programs for various theaters and museums. Between 2017 and 2022 he was artictic director of zeitraumexit in Mannheim. He is the founder and coordinator of POLIS-SEA, a global initiative by cultural institutions from Bremen, Jakarta, Alexandria, New Orleans, Venice and Hamburg to promote culture as a resource for local climate adaptation.

Elisa Sutanudjaja is the founder and program director at Rujak Center for Urban Studies (RCUS), Indonesia. RCUS was founded to fill the gap in necessary process of transition into the ecological age. The vision of RCUS is working together with communities in generating innovative knowledge and practices to build sustainable cities and regions. She is also a coordinator of Citizen Coalition for Jakarta 2030 since 2009, the coalition that promotes better public participation in Jakarta city planning process. She is also a JENESYS Fellow for Education in Sustainable Development and Eisenhower Fellow.

Nikolai Wolff is a photographer and founding member of Fotoetage, an association of five photographers in Bremen and Berlin who work for magazines, companies and agencies and develop independent projects and exhibitions. He has been a lecturer in architectural photography at Hochschule Bremen - City University of Applied Sciences since 2013. Together with Kay Michalak and Tristan Vankann, he photographed and curated b.zb's first exhibition on flood defences and their architectural value for Bremen in 2024.