We The Coral
8 ft x 3 ft
Sharpies and Ink on Kraft Paper
2018
‘This project is a kind-of physical and artistic mulling — it is my way of reckoning with the emotional force of discovering and learning about anthropogenic effects on our oceans, specifically coral reefs. Depicted are 25 species of coral considered “endangered” or “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They are shown with signs of the human — a tire; a trawling net; black ink as oil; void of color as coral bleaching.’
We the Coral are: Acropora cervicornis, Mycetophyllia ferox, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Orbicella faveolata, Orbicella annularis, Acropora palmata, Orbicella franksi, Tubastraea floreana, Siderastrea glynni, Seriatopora aculeata, Porites napopora, Pavona diffluens, Montipora australiensis, Isopora crateriformis, Euphyllia paradivisa, Cantharellus noumeae, Acropora spinosa, Acropora tenella, Acropora speciosa, Acropora rudis, Acropora retusa, Acropora pharaonis, Acropora lokani, Acropora jacquelineae, and Acropora globiceps,
Thanks to Nathan Hensley for material on the Anthropocene and Ewa Krzyszcyk for teaching me about anthropogenic effects on coral reefs. The endangered and threatened species lists were found on the websites of the NOAA, the ESA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.