As of this summer, Mechelen is the place to be for an extraordinary day out by the sea. As of the beginning of July, Technopolis will be opening Sea Force, a brand-new exhibition where one moment you imagine yourself to be on the coast, the next moment at the bottom of the sea and not much later in the port of the future. And all that thanks to fine examples of technology. Sea Force is the first exhibition in Technopolis where, in an immersive digital environment, you are truly immersed in a future where science and technology are central. The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is a partner in the new expo, providing expertise on monitoring and reducing the ecological impact of offshore wind farms and stimulating underwater nature in such projects.
Sea Force, a brand new exhibition in Technopolis where you can dive into the sea and the port of tomorrow, will be open from the beginning of July 2021. And you can take that quite literally. Via projections and interactive floors and walls, it seems as if you are completely submerging and are walking on the bottom of the sea where fish swim around your feet and follow you everywhere. If you look further, you will see floating solar panels, underwater farms and bubble curtains that protect porpoises from underwater noise. In short, you have never seen the sea and the harbour like this before.
This is because Technopolis is using an immersive digital space for the first time to immerse visitors in a sustainable future where science and technology are central. Sea Force is not only a visual and technological tour de force. In terms of content, the exhibition tells a particularly strong story of the future in which science and innovation make the most of the power of the sea while protecting it at the same time. Important themes such as shipping, renewable energy and food are addressed.
These themes were incorporated into fun assignments. While playing, you get answers to questions such as “Will we soon be growing our food in underwater farms?”, “Will there be artificial energy islands off Blankenberge or Ostend?” and “What is the power and importance of the sea?”. In addition, you can design your own wind turbine and bring the power on land, discover fish species with an underwater drone, investigate ways of generating and storing green energy…. A gigantic interactive port table will take you to the port (or should we say energy hub) of the future and you will discover how/if we will soon be saying goodbye to ships driven by fossil fuels.
Practical
Sea Force is an exhibition that will fascinate young and old. Young people from 12 years of age and adults alike can immerse themselves in the numerous themes that are presented and can be inspired to work (later) in the marine and maritime sector. Younger children will enjoy the visual spectacle and the technology of the immersive digital space, which allows fish and other graphic elements to follow their movements. Entry to Sea Force is included in the entrance fee to Technopolis.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Technopolis proudly calls itself SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Voice and uses Sea Force to inform visitors on a series of goals set by the United Nations to make the world a better place by 2030. Via Sea Force, Technopolis and its partners (goal 17 – involve stakeholders) show how important reliable and sustainable energy is (goal 7), why action against climate change is really necessary (goal 13) and how the sea can be used in a sustainable way with all due respect for life in the water (goal 14).
Stephane Berghmans, CEO Technopolis: “Sea Force is the first expo in Technopolis where you can walk into the future and see and experience with your own eyes how we can make that future more sustainable through science and innovation. This would not have been possible without the financial and substantive contribution of our partners, all of them drivers of innovation in Belgium. We hope that together we will inspire many children and young people to later contribute to our so-called “blue economy”. Tell us, which professions appeal more to the imagination than marine biologist, wind farm designer or seaweed farmer? Whatever they choose later, our message is clear: the best mates for our future are not all on shore. Everyone can and may contribute to a better world.
The partners
Sea Force is a gem of a co-creation project. For this groundbreaking expo, Technopolis joined forces with CMB, DEME, Jan De Nul, Port of Antwerp, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, UGent, Vliz, Flux50 and Belgian Offshore Platform.
