The UnSEAn: tattoo artists move the needle for the Mediterranean

The countries around the Mediterranean Sea attract hundreds of millions of tourists annually, beguiling many into repeat visits year after year. MedPAN, the organisation of managers of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are behind this campaign, designed to blend the ongoing trend for tattoos with an appealing form of 'activism'. MPAs are "slices of sea and coast placed under protection and managed because of their ecological importance," explains MedPAN. "Through effective management, they protect the amazing marine life of the Mediterranean, ensuring the livelihoods of fishermen, stimulating the local economy and offering tourists the opportunity to rekindle their links with nature". In this initiative, MedPAN - "recognising that issues relating to the protection of the ocean remain less of a priority for young adults than other environmental topics, whilst tattoos inspired by the marine world are hugely popular" - collaborates with several Mediterranean tattoo artists who have created a series of flash tattoos highlighting Mediterranean species, such as Posidonia, the grouper, the giant pearl oyster, the Mediterranean cuttlefish and the purple gorgonian. Flash tattoo, or tattoo flash, means a ready-made tattoo design created to be chosen directly from a sheet, offering a fast, affordable option for walk-in clients - ideal for tourists wanting to take a piece of the Med home with them. An interactive Google Map makes participating tattooists easy to locate.

Keywords: MedPAN 'The UnSEAn', flash tattoo Mediterranean species, tattoo environmental art, tattoo activism, BETC