To Replenish With Water

2019

Commissioned by The Underwater Museum of Art of Florida in the Panhandle via an open call in 2019, this work is a hope spot for the future. A permanent cement underwater sculpture functioning as an artificial reef that approaches the theme of ocean degradation through the concept of coral bleaching. The piece depicts a cluster of different species of Florida’s most endangered corals (elkhorn, staghorn and pillar coral) bleached, infused with forms of plastic waste that will be covered through time by new and healthy corals, so that its original white form disappears completely. Like most of my interactive pieces, To Replenish with Water deals with the ephemeral state of the work and its forever changing quality, much like the ocean itself. From sickness to health and maybe to a thriving underwater ecosystem. Reversing the fate of this bleached piece to, in time, a living coral colony is a powerful message in the battle against climate change.