International Day of the Deep Seabed
Why the deep seabed needs an attentive public
On the occasion of the International Day of the Deep Seabed, TBA21 invites audiences to learn more about the deep sea and highlights the role of culture and Indigenous knowledge in decisions about its future.
Approaching the deep sea through art
From Armin Linke’s research for Prospecting Ocean to Inhabitants’ series What is Deep Sea Mining?, TBA21 has supported projects examining the interests and relationships shaping the future of the deep seabed. These practices bring an environment far removed from everyday experience closer to diverse audiences and raise questions about our responsibility toward the life it sustains.
This work extends through Ocean-Archive.org, a platform that opens artistic and scientific research to civil society and provides access to diverse forms of knowledge and perspectives on the ocean. Its collection on deep-sea knowledge offers a way to learn more about the state of deep-sea mining today and discover how art and research can broaden our understanding of the most pressing issues facing the ocean.
Listening to frontline communities
This trajectory of research, outreach, and public engagement also underpins TBA21’s contribution to international forums where the future of the ocean is debated. TBA21 has held observer status at the ISA since 2017 and advocates for a ban on deep-sea mining. The foundation's work connects artistic research with advocacy and makes its platforms available to local and Indigenous communities so that international forums can hear from those whose knowledge of marine environments reaches back centuries.
At the ISA Assembly held in Kingston in July 2026, TBA21 gave its speaking slot to representatives of Jamaica’s Maroon and Taíno communities: Gaa Mang Gloria "MaMa G" Simms and Kasike Kalaan Nibonrix Kaiman. This contribution reflects a commitment to facilitating access for their representatives to international debates where decisions about the ocean are made, recognizing their knowledge and their cultural and spiritual relationships with the sea.
A common heritage of humankind
Beyond national jurisdictions, the deep seabed covers more than half of the ocean floor and constitutes the largest habitat on the planet, even though only a small fraction has been directly observed. Its ecosystems, formed over millions of years, harbor biodiversity that remains largely undescribed and help regulate the climate by long-term carbon storage. Today, they are at the center of a geopolitical dispute: the International Seabed Authority (ISA, an autonomous intergovernmental organization within the United Nations system established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) has yet to adopt the regulations that would govern their exploitation, while some companies are seeking permits through national processes outside the multilateral framework, putting the principle of the common heritage of humankind under strain.
In response, 46 countries now support a moratorium or precautionary pause, alongside scientists, Indigenous communities, and parts of the financial and business sectors. This international support for a moratorium marks progress toward a stronger legal framework for protecting the deep seabed. TBA21 advocates going further, calling for a ban on deep-sea mining, as reflected in the Foundation’s involvement in initiatives and projects such as those mentioned above. To broaden this movement and strengthen its influence on international legislation, civil society must also be involved. November 1, 2026 marks the second edition of the International Day of the Deep Seabed, promoted by the ISA. The day brings attention to the principle of the common heritage of humankind, which governs the seabed and its resources beyond national jurisdiction. This awareness-raising effort is essential to bringing the deep sea and the challenges it faces closer to civil society, because no one protects what they do not know.
Under this year’s theme, “1,000 Reasons to: Discover. Share. Use.", the campaign highlights the importance of scientific cooperation and access to knowledge. It builds on the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative, which supports biodiversity research and contributes to the goal of describing at least one thousand new deep-sea species by 2030.
Explore speculative ocean futures on Ocean-Archive.org
On this occasion, we invite you to watch a special release of Havsrå, one of three animated short films produced by Inferstudio as part of OcéanoFuturismos, an initiative run by TBA21–Academy in collaboration with Radical Ocean Futures. In this short film blending scientific forecasting with immersive storytelling, a direct-action activist organization mobilizes a global audience by live-streaming their operations as they attempt to disrupt illegal deep-sea mining, serving as a simulated vision of a world that might yet be.
To learn more about the state of deep-sea mining today, we invite you to explore the collection on deep-sea knowledge on Ocean-Archive.org and discover how art and research can broaden our understanding of the most pressing issues facing the ocean today.
You can also discover the scientific stories and share resources from the International Day of the Deep Seabed campaign, whose activities will continue throughout 2027.
Learn more about TBA21’s work with the International Seabed Authority.