What does it mean to leave a place feeling more connected to the sea?
For the closing of Hearth Summit Aegean 2026, REMEDIES invited participants to end the gathering not with another discussion, but with listening.
On 25 October 2026, at the Tomato Industrial Museum in Vlychada, Santorini, Italian composer and sound artist Coco Francavilla brought Music for the Sea to the Summit, offering a closing performance shaped by the sounds and soundscapes of the ocean.
Organised by Impact Hub Athens, the three-day Summit explored the intersection of wellbeing, landscape and regeneration, bringing together diverse perspectives to imagine more resilient communities and healthier ecosystems.
As a contributing project, REMEDIES connected artistic expression with environmental action through two artistic performances and its Zero Waste Island Pathway, inviting participants to experience marine protection through creativity, participation and direct engagement with the island.
Fifth Artistic Residency: Listening to the Sea
Music for the Sea created a moment of stillness after three days of conversations, workshops, field experiences and collective exploration.
Using sound as a way of connecting people with the marine environment, Coco Francavilla invited the audience to listen differently. The sea was no longer simply the landscape surrounding Santorini, but a living presence and a source of memory, rhythm and connection.
Francavilla is a composer, ambient artist and sound engineer based in Ibiza, and the founder of MusicForTheSea, an initiative connecting music, art and science to support marine conservation.
Her artistic practice explores how sound can deepen our awareness of marine ecosystems and encourage a more meaningful relationship with the ocean.
At Hearth Summit Aegean, this approach became a simple but powerful closing gesture: an invitation to pause, listen and reconnect with nature.
From Zero Waste Action to Ecological Belonging
The performance also provided a meaningful conclusion to the environmental experiences developed throughout the Summit, particularly the Zero Waste Island Pathway, supported by REMEDIES.
Taking place on 24 October, the pathway invited participants to explore how materials can find new life through circularity, craft and local knowledge. Beginning with a beach clean-up at Vlychada, the experience continued through conversations about environmental responsibility and a practical workshop exploring plastic reuse through the Plastic Lab approach alongside traditional basket-weaving techniques.
While the pathway encouraged participants to engage directly with waste prevention and circular solutions, Music for the Sea brought the conversation back to the emotional connection that motivates environmental action.
Together, these activities reflected the broader REMEDIES approach: protecting our oceans requires not only innovative technologies and practical solutions, but also greater awareness, community participation and a deeper sense of responsibility towards marine ecosystems.
Art as a Bridge Between People and the Ocean
Through its Artistic Residencies initiative, REMEDIES explores how artistic expression can make environmental challenges more accessible, transforming scientific knowledge and ecological concerns into experiences that people can feel and remember.
At Hearth Summit Aegean, Music for the Sea offered a moment of reflection, grounding and connection as participants prepared to return to their communities.
After days spent discussing regeneration, exploring circular solutions and imagining the future of island communities, the performance reminded participants of something fundamental: before the sea is a resource, a destination or a challenge to be managed, it is part of the living world to which we belong.
And caring for it begins with recognising that connection.
