Danielle Khan Da Silva
SEAQUAL INITIATIVE
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Danielle Khan Da Silva
Seaqual Initiative Exhibition
8 August to 1 October 2026
Avenida do Mar, Foz do Arelho, Portugal
As part of the celebrations marking 200 Years of Photography, the F/262 International Photography Festival presents Seaqual Initiative Exhibition, a powerful outdoor exhibition by internationally acclaimed photographer, filmmaker and conservationist Danielle Khan Da Silva.
Installed along Avenida do Mar in Foz do Arelho, the exhibition explores the fragile relationship between humanity and the oceans through a series of striking underwater and environmental photographs. Danielle’s work reveals both the beauty and vulnerability of marine ecosystems while highlighting the urgent need for collective environmental action.
Created in partnership with the Seaqual Initiative, the exhibition draws attention to one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time, marine plastic pollution. By transforming marine waste into new resources and promoting a circular economy, the Seaqual Initiative demonstrates how collaboration between communities, industry and environmental organisations can help protect our oceans.
Danielle Khan Da Silva has spent years documenting wildlife, conservation projects and environmental stories around the world. Her photographs combine artistic sensitivity with documentary storytelling, inviting viewers to reconnect with nature and reflect on their own role in preserving it.
Presented in the unique coastal landscape of Foz do Arelho, where the lagoon meets the Atlantic Ocean, this exhibition creates a dialogue between photography, place and environmental awareness, encouraging visitors to experience the images while immersed in one of Portugal’s most important coastal ecosystems.
This exhibition is part of the official programme celebrating 200 Years of Photography, reaffirming the medium’s power not only to document the world but also to inspire change.
Audio Description
Accessible audio description of the exhibition poster / Audiodescrição acessível do cartaz da exposição.
English
Português
This poster promotes an exhibition presented as part of the F/262 International Photography Festival and the 200 Years of Photography celebrations.
The background is light grey with a clean, minimalist design. At the top left are the F/262 Festival logo and the EFFE Label, recognising the festival as one of Europe’s remarkable arts festivals. At the top right appears the text, “200 Years of Photography” in Portuguese.
The centre of the poster is dominated by the artist’s name in large, bold, black capital letters: Danielle Khan Da Silva. Below it, in smaller bold text, is the title “Seaqual Initiative Exhibition.”
The main image occupies the centre of the poster. It is an underwater photograph showing a swimmer diving beneath the ocean’s surface. The person is upside down, descending into deep green water, surrounded by bubbles. Their long dark hair flows freely underwater. To the right, large strands of golden-brown kelp drift through the water, creating a striking contrast between the human figure and the marine environment. Sunlight filters through the surface above, illuminating the scene with a soft, natural glow and creating a peaceful yet immersive atmosphere.
At the bottom of the poster, the exhibition dates are listed as 8 August to 1 October 2026, with the location Avenida do Mar, Foz do Arelho, Portugal. The festival website, festival262.com, is also provided.
Along the bottom edge are the logos of the producing organisation, supporting institutions and partners, including the Seaqual Initiative and the Kleinhempel Group.
The overall design is contemporary, elegant and visually focused on the relationship between people and the ocean, reflecting the exhibition’s themes of environmental awareness and marine conservation.
Audiodescrição em Português
Este cartaz promove uma exposição integrada no Festival Internacional de Fotografia F/262 e nas comemorações dos 200 Anos da Fotografia.
O fundo é cinzento claro, com um design limpo e minimalista. No canto superior esquerdo encontram-se o logótipo do Festival F/262 e o selo EFFE, que distingue o festival como um dos festivais de artes mais relevantes da Europa. No canto superior direito surge a inscrição “Comemoração 200 Anos Fotografia”.
Ao centro, em letras pretas, grandes e em maiúsculas, destaca-se o nome da artista: Danielle Khan Da Silva. Logo abaixo aparece o título da exposição: “Seaqual Initiative Exhibition”.
A imagem principal ocupa a zona central do cartaz. Trata-se de uma fotografia subaquática onde se vê uma pessoa a mergulhar de cabeça para baixo no oceano. O corpo encontra-se parcialmente invertido, envolvido por pequenas bolhas de ar, enquanto o cabelo escuro flutua livremente na água. À direita da imagem surgem grandes folhas de algas castanhas, iluminadas pela luz natural que atravessa a superfície da água. O contraste entre a figura humana, o verde profundo do oceano e as algas cria uma composição serena e envolvente, evocando a beleza e a fragilidade dos ecossistemas marinhos.
Na parte inferior do cartaz encontram-se as datas da exposição, 8 de agosto a 1 de outubro de 2026, e o local, Avenida do Mar, Foz do Arelho. É também indicado o endereço do festival, festival262.com.
Ao longo da margem inferior surgem os logótipos da entidade produtora, das instituições de apoio e dos parceiros, incluindo a Seaqual Initiative e o Kleinhempel Group.
O conjunto apresenta uma identidade gráfica contemporânea e elegante, centrada na ligação entre o ser humano e o oceano, reforçando a mensagem de conservação ambiental e proteção dos ecossistemas marinhos.
The Village Under the Sea
Chief Dan George (1899–1981) was a Tsleil-Waututh Chief, poet, actor, environmental advocate, and one of the most influential Indigenous voices in Canada. His words offer a guiding thread through The Village Under the Sea, a photographic and cinematic exploration of the profound relationships between Coast Salish peoples and the orcas who share their ancestral waters.
The exhibition is anchored by the voices and teachings of Coast Salish leaders, knowledge keepers, and families, including Kayah George, a Tsleil-Waututh writer, educator, and descendant of Chief Dan George. Through her story—and those of the chiefs, matriarchs, and cultural leaders featured throughout the series—the work traces living systems of knowledge transmission that connect generations across time, territory, and change.
Drawing from Indigenous science, oral histories, and contemporary cultural resurgence, The Village Under the Sea explores the remarkable parallels between Coast Salish and orca societies. Both are shaped by matriarchal leadership, strong family bonds, and cultural knowledge passed between generations. Both possess sophisticated systems of communication, distinct dialects, and collective memories carried by elders. In these communities, survival depends not only on biology, but on culture.
The exhibition also reflects on shared histories of disruption. Colonial policies separated Indigenous children from their families, languages, and lands, while the live captures of the 1960s and 1970s removed young orcas from their family groups in the Salish Sea. These ruptures threatened the transmission of knowledge, language, and belonging. Yet the stories gathered here are ultimately stories of continuity—of cultures that endure through relationship, remembrance, and care.
Moving between underwater worlds and ancestral shorelines, The Village Under the Sea invites viewers to consider a simple but transformative possibility: that human and more-than-human societies are not as separate as we imagine. Across oceans and generations, the exhibition asks what we might learn by listening to the beings with whom we share the sea.
Danielle Khan Da Silva is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, writer and conservationist whose work explores the intersection of wildlife, humanity and environmental protection. Through visual storytelling, she collaborates with conservation organisations, researchers and communities to raise awareness about biodiversity, climate change and the future of our planet. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally and published by leading media and environmental organisations, earning recognition for their powerful combination of artistry and advocacy.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition: Seaqual Initiative Exhibition
Artist: Danielle Khan Da Silva
Dates: 8 August to 1 October 2026
Location: Avenida do Mar, Foz do Arelho, Portugal
Admission: Free
About the Seaqual Initiative
The Seaqual Initiative is a global collaborative community working to combat marine plastic pollution by recovering plastic waste from oceans, rivers and coastlines and transforming it into high-quality recycled materials. By connecting fishermen, NGOs, local communities and industry, the initiative demonstrates how waste can become a valuable resource while helping to restore marine environments.
Produced by F/262 & Associação F/SOS
With the support of:
May – September 2026
Caldas da Rainha Portugal
About F/262
F/262 is an international photography festival rooted in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.
Through exhibitions, talks, education, and public installations, the festival engages contemporary photography with place, community, and the world we share.
©2026 F/262 – Festival Internacional de Fotografia
Produced by Associação F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais
English (UK)