Art

#ceramics #climate crisis #coral #Courtney Mattison #environment #ocean #sculpture

Our Changing Seas: A Ceramic Coral Reef by Courtney Mattison

April 22, 2014

Christopher Jobson

seas-1

Photo by Courtney Mattison

seas-2

Photo by Arthur Evans

seas-3

Photo by Arthur Evans

seas-4

Photo by Arthur Evans

seas-5

Photo by Arthur Evans

Our Changing Seas III is the third piece in a series of large-scale ceramic coral reef sculptures by artist Courtney Mattison. The sprawling installation is entirely hand-built and is meant to show the devastating transition coral reefs endure when faced with climate change, a process called bleaching. She shares via email:

At its heart, this piece celebrates my favorite aesthetic aspects of a healthy coral reef surrounded by the sterile white skeletons of bleached corals swirling like the rotating winds of a cyclone. There is still time for corals to recover even from the point of bleaching if we act quickly to decrease the threats we impose. Perhaps if my work can influence viewers to appreciate the fragile beauty of our endangered coral reef ecosystems, we will act more wholeheartedly to help them recover and even thrive.

Our Changing Seas III is currently on view at the Tang Museum at Skidmore College through June 15, 2014. (via Colossal Submissions)

#ceramics #climate crisis #coral #Courtney Mattison #environment #ocean #sculpture

 

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