There's a sculpture in Cancun, Mexico, that we made this past summer. It will become a Living Sea Sculpture coral refuge to support biodiverse marine organisms and help the economy embrace new forms of ecotourism that are more environmentally holistic and encompassing in their approach to business.
Inspired by DNA, the 15'x9'x6' steel sculpture is ready to be deployed into the underwater museum in the National Marine Park. It will be the first Biorock® sculpture to join the museum, MUSA, known for its cement castings by underwater sculptor, Jason deCaires Taylor. The intention of the museum is to give neighboring natural reefs a break from tourists and to inspire links between art, environmental science, and local economies. Biorock® is unique in its ability to electrolytically raise the pH and precipitate Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Hydroxide (limestone) depositions onto metal, amplifying exoskeleton resources for corals suffering from environmental stressors such as climate change, pollution and ocean acidification. Once again we have turned to crowd-sourcing through kickstarter to raise awareness and fund the deployment of LSS:
From the Shore to the Seafloor: Living Sea Sculpture deploys
http://kck.st/vZ4GIk
Thanks to a successful campaign last year, we were able to create this bioremediative artwork. Due to a contract hitch that stopped installation in July, we are now regrouping to return this May. WE HAVE TO GET IT INTO THE WATER! (it rusts on land, it thrives in the sea:)We have 30 days to meet our $35,000 goal. I am reaching out to share this project and ask you to help us return to complete our coral refuge by spreading the word and/or making a pledge. Thanks to our non-profit partners, The Global Coral Reef Alliance, all donations are tax-deductible. There is a Living Sea Sculpture Facebook page with updates on the LSS project, coral, and related creative art/sci/action intersections.
http://www.facebook.com/LivingSeaSculpture
Most of you know, but for those of you who do not, the simple act of "liking" our page is a hugely valuable social media contribution. Thank you for your "likes" and posts.If you tweet, you can follow @livingseasculpt. Your tweets and RT's are very helpful. People from all over have reached out to say they care and wish to help this work succeed. We even have a song written for and inspired by this project as one of our rewards for supporting LSS. Julie and Aaron are waiting to release "Cancun Kiss" until our campaign is over on March 14th.
There are lots of creative rewards; as a maker, it feels good to be able to offer something hand-made and tangible in exchange for donations. One person asked me the other day, "Isn't helping coral reward enough?" Up to the backers! I'm happy either way.
We will be thrilled to be able to install this life supporting habitat and watch it grow! THANK YOU!
Colleen, Amphitrite, and the LSS Team
