Oceans of space for murals

Aaron Glasson, creative director at PangeaSeed works on a mural called Pania of The Reef at Perfume Point, Ahuriri. Photo / Duncan Brown

Bland walls around Napier are being transformed as part of the global street-art project Murals for Oceans Festival gets under way.

During the event, running until Friday, 30 international artists will turn spaces on Napier walls into large scale sea-inspired murals to raise awareness about the ocean.

The festival's purpose is to highlight through art and activism the beauty and the plight of the world's oceans into seaside towns around the globe.

Napier is the first town in New Zealand to host the festival. Previously it has beautified walls in other coastal settlements, such as Los Angeles, Vietnam, Mexico and Sri Lanka.

The festival will also include live art demonstrations, a pop-up exhibition and an open-air film festival which will feature the World Oceans Day Film Festival films and some of PangeaSeed's documentaries.

The PangeaSeed Foundation creates large-scale public murals and organises community-based educational efforts that focus attention on major environmental issues the oceans are currently facing and promote the importance of long-term sustainability of natural resources.