Above/Below

A Campaign for the Ocean Forests of the North Pacific Coast

Bull kelp forests can be compared to the majestic forests on land, yet many people don’t know they exist or understand the importance of these marine systems hidden beneath the ocean's surface. The Above/Below campaign aspires to extend our love for terrestrial forests to the forests of the sea.

Kelp forests cover a quarter of the world’s coastlines and are critical to sustaining biodiversity of the oceans while also absorbing vast amounts of carbon from the ocean and atmosphere. But these ocean forests are disappearing faster than rainforests around the world. On California’s North Coast, a staggering 95% of bull kelp forests have disappeared since 2014 due to a convergence of natural cycles and human impacts, including rising ocean temperatures. A robust community has coalesced to study, protect, reforest and restore the resilience of these marine forests throughout their entire range, but the magnitude and urgency of this issue calls for public support to sustain and grow these efforts.

Above/Below is a collective of artists, scientists, and ocean advocates collaborating to tell the story of bull kelp along the North Pacific Coast. Our mission is to celebrate the wonder of bull kelp and the biodiversity it supports: to inspire curiosity about the bull kelp forest through art, science, food and film; and to grow connection with this extraordinary marine algae, inspiring new ways to care for, protect and learn from the forests of the sea.

Through a series of creative communications and outreach initiatives over the next few years, the Above/Below campaign aims to tell the story of bull kelp across its entire bioregion – from Monterey to the coasts of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. We connect and amplify the voices of regionally-specific kelp advocates to grow support for bull kelp forests coastwide. We believe that by combining art and science through creative storytelling strategies, we can help educate a broad audience about the importance of kelp forests, inspire engagement in local community action, and foster a culture of ocean stewardship over the long term.

Above/Below Co-Directors

Josie Iselin is an artist, author and designer who has been telling seaweed and kelp stories for over a decade. Her two books An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of Seaweed (2014, reprint 2023) and The Curious World of Seaweed (Heyday, 2019), tap her profound understanding of seaweed’s natural history and her deep connections within the seaweed science community. Her work is an extraordinary expression of both art and science. She teaches in the School of Design at San Francisco State University, inspiring the integration of art, science and storytelling through portfolio design. Josie directs content development for the Above/Below campaign and is the lead author of the campaign’s webstory, The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp, to be published in June 2023. josieiselin.com

Marianna Leuschel is a creative strategist, bringing together years of experience in communications and design thinking to drive systems change. Her expertise is in working together with multiple stakeholders and translating complex ecological concepts into clear and compelling communication strategies and storytelling. Marianna was the director of L Studio for 20 years and founded New Agency to assemble creative teams to generate communication strategies and campaigns for a range of clients in land stewardship. Marianna now offers her expertise to promote ocean stewardship. She leads the campaign strategy for Above/Below, and brings teams together to create and implement campaign initiatives. newagencyca.com

Press

Portals to the ocean realm: Ukiah museum’s new exhibit on seaweed melds art and science

Community Events: A Fireside Chat with SF’s District Attorney and the Fragile World of ‘Kelp!’

Undersea Activism, Word of Mouth