Film goes into depth on shallow bays
By collaborating with visual artist Iris Alexandrov, ecotoxicologist Malin Celander aims to spread knowledge about the Bohuslän coast’s shallow bays via a number of films.
“Even though this is a threatened marine environment, the films don’t focus on the negative – instead, we turn the tables and show a fascinating environment that is close to us,” says Professor Malin Celander.
THE ALARMING REPORTS come in quick succession. Environmental toxins, littering, over-fishing, increased boat traffic and climate change are major challenges for marine life. However, relatively few of the public are committed to making a change. Why is this?
“If it isn’t visible, it doesn’t exist. Marine illiteracy is widespread, with many people not knowing what happens in the sea.”
However, Malin Celander certainly knows. She has spent every summer at a shallow bay immediately north of Grebbestad in the county of Bohuslän. She produces a photo of the bay, and can hardly contain herself as she shows where, as a little girl, she stepped right out into the dunes to investigate what was there. Or where the mussel beds are, and how she turned over stones at the water’s edge to study small crabs. It’s easy to understand why she is now working to investigate how different chemicals affect the health of fish – and it’s just as easy to understand her dismay that so little is being done to protect life in the coastal environment.
“OF COURSE, SOME EFFORTS are heading in the right direction, with protected areas and nature reserves, and we’re starting to eat algae from the sea, for example. However, at the same time, recreational boats and boat engines are growing in number and getting bigger, and jetties and other structures are being built in sensitive bays. I wish more people wanted to respect and preserve this environment!”
Two years ago, photographer Mattias Klum was invited as an inspirational speaker at an international conference on the impact of pollution on marine life. At the time, Mattias was collaborating with visual artist Iris Alexandrov. They have both dedicated much of their professional lives to documenting endangered natural areas. Mattias raised the possibility of working together on the marine environment.
“I thought about it over the summer, and I decided that I wanted to start on my own doorstep and focus on the shallow bays of the West Coast,” recalls Professor Celander. “I want to go into more depth with shallow bays. It’s an accessible environment close to the bathing spots that everyone can discover. It was also important not to focus on the environmental problems, but instead to encourage fascination and interest by showing the beauty that exists there. Once you become interested in something, you also become interested in protecting it.”
AND SO SHE PROPOSED a collaborative project between Iris and Mattias, and applied for and received collaborative funding from the Faculty of Science. She also had funding left over from other assignments that she invested in the project. In the summer of 2023, Iris Alexandrov and Malin Celander carried out a pilot study that resulted in a five-minute film and a couple of large still images from the bays around Skaftö in Bohuslän, produced by Iris. The film begins in an eelgrass bed, and describes its function as a nursery. The camera then dives into the seaweed forest, with its jellyfish and fish. This is a beautiful and meditative film, with facts narrated by Iris.
“The images and the film were used for an exhibition that was presented at the Kristineberg Center and at Havets Hus in Lysekil during West Coast Sea Week,” continues Malin. “We held a brief Q&A session after each screening, and there were lots of questions. It’s children who ask the best questions. They don’t have any filters!”
She hopes that those who watch the film will have their curiosity piqued and want to find out more. The film ends by addressing some of the threats to these shallow bays, before concluding with Iris’s exhortation: “If we take care of the sea, we take care of ourselves.”
“WE DON’T WANT THE FILM to feel bleak, and during the Q&A sessions after the screenings I was careful to emphasise that the ocean is a robust environment with the ability to recover and adapt,” says Malin Celander. “The disadvantage of showing a film like this on TV is that viewers don’t get the opportunity to reflect and ask their questions and discuss. There isn’t much engagement. That’s why we presented the film as part of an exhibition, with time for discussion after each screening.”
To some extent, visitors to West Coast Sea Week and Havets Hus are among the most familiar with and knowledgeable about marine life. Malin Celander and Iris Alexandrov therefore have other arenas in mind for the film and the images to be produced this summer. The film will be longer, and some scenes will again be shot in the aquariums at the Kristineberg Center in order to capture details.
“Our ambition is to bring the exhibition to a wider audience, and we will now contact various museums. Our goal with this project is to interest people in things they didn’t realise they were interested in.”
Text: Olof Lönnehed
Photo: Iris Alexandrov, Malin Celander, Dick Gillberg
WHAT: The collaborative project The Shallow Bay by Professor Malin Celander and visual artist Iris Alexandrov, resulting in films and images that depict life in shallow bays. The film and the images will be used to create an exhibition that can be shown in different locations and contexts, with scope for discussion and questions. The film’s narrative is based on a number of plant and animal species that are commonly found in shallow bays, and which are also important for the ecosystem and the climate.
WHERE: A longer film will be produced. A bay in the Kosterhavet National Park was documented in September 2023, and in June 2024 we will continue filming in bays around Skaftö and in aquariums at the Kristineberg Center for Marine Research and Innovation.
WHY: The aim of the collaborative project is to raise awareness and arouse curiosity among the public about shallow bays, with a special focus on families and children. Shallow bays are described in terms of both their importance for the climate and as a nursery and a larder for many marine species, but also as an important place for recreation and outdoor activities for humans.
