GLOBE Italia – The Torments of Poseidon

The Brida Institute, with the support of the Municipality of Nova Gorica and the Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and in collaboration with the GO! 2025 Institute, presents the scientific and artistic research project *The Torments of Poseidon*, which has been developed over several years by the GLOBE Italia association.

What happens to plastic when it breaks down into tiny particles that are almost invisible to the naked eye, yet remain in the water, the environment and living organisms?

Through the ‘Poseidon’s Torments’ project, GLOBE Italia focuses on microplastics, their life cycle, their impact on the environment and health, and ways to reduce their formation and spread.

A significant part of the exhibition showcases research carried out as part of the international GLOBE programme – Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment – in which numerous schools are involved. In their work, the young researchers use the Microplastics Monitoring Protocol (MMP), a protocol for monitoring microplastics that was developed in 2019 at Deakin University in Australia.

The scientific section is complemented by the artistic segment MICROPLA SC/Art, in which the theme of microplastics is presented through various artistic approaches. The artworks raise questions and offer a different perspective on a problem that scientific data alone struggles to convey to visitors.

The central symbol of the exhibition is Poseidon, the god of the sea, who suffers unspeakable torment caused by micro- and nanoplastics. His presence links the individual sections of the exhibition and guides visitors through the story of an increasingly prevalent, yet often invisible, form of pollution.

The ‘Poseidon’s Torment’ project brings together science, education and contemporary art, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with plastic, water and the environment.

The exhibition will open on Thursday 10 September 2026 at the EPIC Gallery. It will run until 25 September 2026.