On 23 June, at the NABU Museum in El-Heri, Lebanon, the “Mediterranea. Visions of an ancient and complex sea” exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of Italian Ambassador Nicoletta Bombardiere and Lebanese authorities.
The initiative, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, ASI), Telespazio, Fondazione MedOr (Leonardo Group), e-GEOS (Telespazio/ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA), is part of the activities for the integrated promotion of Italy abroad conducted by MAECI.
The exhibition, organised by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut, is curated by Viviana Panaccia and recounts the history, natural heritage, peoples, myths, but also the current challenges of the Mediterranean. The exhibition offered to visitors represents the Mediterranean in all its complexity through unpublished satellite images, photos, videos and site-specific installations, with the aim of creating a synthesis between science and art, between the past and present.
As emphasised by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, the “Mare Nostrum is the cradle of civilisations and the crossroads of great trade flows, a space of dialogue, interaction and fusion between the countries and peoples that overlook it, as proven by the more than 300 sites recognised as World Heritage by UNESCO. Today, it is also one of the regions most vulnerable to global challenges, such as the impact of climate change and food security, and it is the scene of conflicts and flight from war and poverty. The Italian government, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the forefront, is committed to promoting partnerships with Mediterranean partner countries, making available the knowledge and know-how of all the components of the Sistema Italia, enhancing all production chains of excellence in Italy to strengthen connectivity and sustainable development”.
The exhibition features images captured by the satellites of the Italian COSMO-SkyMed system and by Sentinel satellites of the European Copernicus system and offers evocative images of the Mediterranean, from the ancient port cities to the islands of myth, from the traditional olive and wheat fields to the efforts made in the North African territories to reclaim fields from the desert for agriculture. The exhibition will remain open to the public until 23 July and will then continue its international tour in Algiers and other countries in the Mediterranean area with the support of the Italian network of embassies, consulates and cultural institutes.
It is an opportunity to promote dialogue and cooperation between the peoples inhabiting the region, encouraging a profound reflection on the Mediterranean that will help bring about sustainable development in all the lands along its shores.
