Twelve artists from Jordan and Switzerland are gathering in Aqaba as part of the second season of the "voices of coral" program, in an experience combining art, science, and the environment, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of protecting coral reefs in the Red Sea through comics.
اضافة اعلان
The second season of the initiative, titled "a dialogue around comics for coral conservation," launched Sunday morning at the residence of Switzerland's ambassador to Jordan, Emilia Georgieva.
Ten artists from Jordan and two from Switzerland are taking part in the program, staying in Aqaba from September 21 to 26, as part of an artist residency that lets them get to know the marine environment and coral reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba up close, and turn their observations and experiences into artworks and comics.
The program is organized by the "transboundary red sea center," based in Switzerland, in partnership with "fanzine" magazine in Amman and the "fumetto" comics festival in Lucerne, and in cooperation with the Aqaba Marine Reserve.
The second season is supported by the Swiss Embassy in Jordan, "presence switzerland," "pro helvetia cairo – swiss arts council," the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, UNESCO, and the UN Development Programme in Jordan.
The project comes as a continuation of the first pilot season of "voices of coral," launched during 2024 and 2025 in partnership with the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.
The "transboundary red sea center" developed the program as part of its efforts to study and protect coral reefs. The center is an initiative launched by the Federal School of Applied Arts in Lausanne in 2019, with support from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and has since built scientific cooperation with the Aqaba Marine Reserve and other institutions in Jordan, as well as in Djibouti, Sudan, and Eritrea.
During the artist residency, participants will dive at a number of coral reef sites in the Gulf of Aqaba, an experience some of them will have for the first time, aiming to directly experience the region's biodiversity and the fragility of its ecosystems.
The scenes of coral reefs and the diversity of their colors and shapes are expected to form core material for the works the artists will develop after the residency concludes, with the comics drawing on their personal impressions and experiences in Aqaba.
The works produced by the project are set to be exhibited during 2027 across five exhibitions, including the "fumetto" comics festival in Lucerne, alongside exhibitions in Aqaba, Amman, and Geneva.
The exhibitions will be accompanied by activities aimed at the public and local communities, particularly young people, addressing topics of biodiversity, sustainability, science, and innovation, alongside the role of art in raising awareness of environmental issues and protecting natural resources.
The new season comes after the Aqaba Marine Reserve, and its coral reefs were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in July 2026.
Switzerland's ambassador to Jordan, Emilia Georgieva, said her country is proud of the "transboundary red sea center's" contribution in providing scientific data that helped support the file for adding the Aqaba Marine Reserve to the World Heritage list.
She added: "we congratulate Jordan on this important recognition from UNESCO, which once again affirms the exceptional value of Aqaba's marine ecosystem."
For her part, UNESCO's representative in Jordan and head of its office, Noha Bouazar, said bringing together artists, scientists, and local communities shows how creativity and international cooperation can help strengthen environmental awareness, sustainability, and the protection of marine heritage in Aqaba.
The program takes on an added dimension as Switzerland prepares, in 2027, to mark two hundred years since the emergence of comics tied to the experience of Swiss writer and teacher Rodolphe Töpffer, with the "voices of coral – season two" exhibitions held in Switzerland set to be part of the celebration program.
Taking part in the program from Jordan are: Karam Hamadneh, Abdullah Jamal Hafez, Anas Aql, Baraa Al-Shalabi, Majd Hadid, Khaled Al-Khalidi, Lynn Damis, Natasha Qabartay, Sara Kilani, and Yamen Hattab, and from Switzerland, Mathieu Berthoud and Rina Jost.
Artist Majd Hadid, who studied multimedia arts and design at the University of Jordan, said she's excited to take part in the project, noting that the sea "has always held a special place" for her.
Artist Anas Aql, who took part in the program's first season, said the new edition gives participants a broader space to express themselves through comics, adding: "we have more room to express ourselves and tell more stories about Aqaba."
For his part, founder of "fanzine" magazine and "fada' 317" studio, Mike Derderian, said the new season provides an important opportunity for exchange between Jordanian and Swiss artists, despite their differing backgrounds and experiences, affirming that what unites them is a shared interest in the art of comics.
After the artist residency in Aqaba concludes, participants will begin a phase lasting between two and three months, writing and drawing the comics inspired by the coral reefs and their personal experiences in the region.
Mike Derderian and Jordanian artist and illustrator Lutfi Zayed will also take part in the program's artistic supervision, bringing the group working on developing the works to 14 artists and supervisors.
The comics produced by the project are set to be published in full color in a special issue of "fanzine" magazine, before moving on to the series of exhibitions planned for next year.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
