Large-scale dredging – the removal of massive amounts of sediment from the seafloor – reshapes coastlines, harbours, and marine ecosystems across the world, yet it often takes place out of sight and public debate. Art of the Dredge is a participatory art and research project that brings this hidden activity into focus by combining artistic practice, community engagement, and ocean literacy. Centered on the Malmporten dredging project in Luleå, northern Sweden, the project explores how sediment movement, industrial expansion, and everyday life in coastal communities are deeply intertwined.
From filming to listening: early project activities
During the first phase of the project, the team carried out preparatory filming in the Stockholm area. This included documenting dredging machinery and sediment-handling processes, alongside interviews with individuals engaged in anti-dredging activism. These audiovisual materials are being developed as shared reference points for upcoming workshops and exhibitions, helping participants approach dredging not only as an industrial process but as a lived environmental experience.
Field visits and stakeholder engagement in Luleå
A key milestone in the project was a field visit to Luleå to build relationships with local stakeholders. Meetings were held with small-scale and recreational fishers, environmental organizations, cultural institutions, artists, migrant outreach groups, and engaged residents living close to the port area. These conversations revealed a strong local interest in dredging, combined with a lack of accessible information and limited opportunities for meaningful inclusion in decision-making processes.
Preparing participatory workshops
Building on the field visit, the project team has secured commitments from a wide range of participants for upcoming workshops in Luleå. These workshops will bring together residents, civil society groups, and other local actors to engage with dredging through listening, screening, and collaborative mapping.
New elements have also been introduced following stakeholder feedback, including a music-based activity.
Why this work matters
At its core, Art of the Dredge treats dredging as both material and metaphor: a force that moves sediment, but also stirs histories, emotions, and conflicting visions of relating to the ocean. By combining sound, film, mapping, and collective reflection, the project develops new ways of “reading” the sea – contributing to ocean literacy that is sensory, emotional, and grounded in lived experience.
