DESIGN+SCIENCE 2026: When the Sea Stops Being a Holiday Backdrop and Becomes Part of Our DNA

For most of the year, Piran spoils us with its picturesque charm, and in the summer, it surrenders completely to the rhythm of tourist bustle. But for us, the past week in Piran meant something entirely different. It became a laboratory of radical ideas, a space for facing uncomfortable truths, and, we dare say, a breeding ground for a new kind of ecological empathy. Together with our long-standing partners—the Association for Culture and Education PiNA, Department of Visual Communications Design at the Arts Academy (University of Split) and Institute Joanneum of the University of Applied Sciences Graz—we successfully wrapped up the sixth edition of the international Design+Science summer school under the provocative title “Wet Dreams: Sea in us.” The hosts from the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport (UL FPP) provided exceptional conditions for the event, which were reflected in the results of the work.

When we sat down in a circle on the first day with 17 exceptional young researchers, artists, and scientists from all over the world, it was clear to everyone: we didn’t want to create just another summer school where lectures are passively digested and a few pretty graphs are drawn at the end. We wanted to break through the walls of the academic comfort zone. We wanted to challenge the most deeply rooted, yet most dangerous human belief—that we are somehow separate from the ocean.

From Climate Alarms to Acoustic Chaos Beneath the Waves

The first two days left us with mixed emotions. When climatologist dr. Lučka Kajfež Bogataj holds up an unfiltered mirror of unrealistic economic growth, and marine microecologist dr. Tinkara Tinta opens the door to the invisible yet vital world of marine microorganisms, you feel the heavy weight of reality. Sociologist dr. Oliver Vodeb followed up by calling us to a radical shift: forget about design that merely serves the market. It is time for “relational design” that builds what he calls “radical intimacies” with nature.

And to begin perceiving the sea as a living subject with its own rights, we first had to truly hear it. Artist Robertina Šebjanič brought the acoustic noise and ecological pressure beneath the surface directly to our ears through underwater recordings. Hearing the heavy industrialization of our bay through hydrophones breaks something inside of you. Evolutionary biologist dr. Mihaela Pavličev offered us a spark of hope by shedding light on the biological mechanisms of systemic adaptation, while dr. Elen Twrdy (dissecting maritime logistics) and dr. Miha Bratec (addressing the impacts of mass tourism and hospitality innovations) ensured we didn’t just stay lost in the clouds of theory, landing us back in the harsh realities of our local coastal environment.

Three Bold Visions

Under the guidance of design mentors (Prof. Ivica Mitrović, Dorijan Šiško, Assoc. Prof. Emil Kozole and Illya Pavlov), the participants transformed raw data into three speculative projects that hold up a mirror to our society. The first is a short film that, through the eyes of a blue crab, subverts the classic narrative about invasive species. The second is a sensory escape room that simulates the stress experienced by marine creatures due to underwater noise and debris. The third is a street performance that, through the ritualistic interweaving of tourist towels in public spaces, addresses spatial occupation and the loss of local identity due to mass tourism.

What Are We Taking “Home”?

The team responsible for the depth of content and excellent organization consisted of: Prof. Boštjan Botas Kenda (UL ALUO), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marina Klemenčič, Borut Jerman, Maja Drobne, Assoc. Prof. Emil Kozole, and Ana Markežič. The school has once again demonstrated that transdisciplinary projects are key to developing social empathy and finding sustainable systemic solutions.

The stories created by the participants are not just design prototypes. They are loud wake-up calls. As organizers, we are incredibly proud to see that the younger generation is no longer looking for instant technological fixes that often only mask the symptoms. Instead, they dove into the hardest question of our time: who do we need to become as a society, and how must we change our habits to survive within our planetary boundaries?

The sea is not just a pretty summer postcard or an inexhaustible resource to be exploited. It is part of our DNA. And it is high time we start co-existing with it as a living subject.

The D+S summer school was made possible by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the University of Ljubljana (RSF funding), and the Eutopia initiative.

Photo: Tine Lisjak