Underwater installation sounds a climate warning — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

A stunning, submerged sculpture installation combines marine science, coral gardening, environmental art and architecture.

British artist Jason deCaires Taylor has created “The Coral Greenhouse” on the Great Barrier Reef in Queesland, Australia.

A component of “The Coral Greenhouse” on the Great Barrier Reef. Image credit - Jason deCaires Taylor.

It forms part of the Museum of Underwater Art, located in a central part of the reef in Townsville, and the only underwater art museum in the Southern Hemisphere, highlighting, “reef conservation, restoration and education on a global scale.”

The Coral Greenhouse, submerged underwater in a natural inlet of John Brewer Reef, is surrounded by gardens and paving, as well as enormous planter boxes full of coral.

Floating trees, based on local terrestrial species such as umbrella palm and eucalyptus, are supported by buoyancy devices.

The evolving form of the work will be determined by nature. Image credit - Jason deCaires Taylor.

Inside the greenhouse, sculptures cast from school children study and tend to planted coral cuttings.

“Thus they are tending to their future,” says deCaires Taylor, “building a different relationship with our marine world, one which recognises it as precious, fragile, and in need of protection.

Our children are the guardians of the Great Barrier Reef.”

The Coral Greenhouse has a biomorphic design, meaning that its form will be determined by nature.

As it’s slowly colonised and built upon by the reef, it will be absorbed into its surroundings, “illustrating an organic architectural philosophy which centres on the unification and connection of designs to their surroundings.”

Its skeletal structure is porous, offering a refuge for marine life and making it suitable for changeable water conditions.

The Ocean Siren is a four metre high work which reacts to climate change.

Weighing 165 tonnes, the greenhouse is made from pH-neutral cement compounds and corrosion-resistant 316 Stainless steel to encourage coral growth.

The heavy cement base has integrated cyclone tethers, and the triangular cross-sections have a low centre of gravity for stability.

Inside the greenhouse, sculptures cast from school children study and tend to planted coral cuttings. Image credit - Jason deCaires Taylor.

Light floating spires sway in prevailing currents, and elevated beam sections offer minimal resistance to wave energy and are an ideal elevated substrate for filter feeding organisms and schooling fish.

Work benches inside the greenhouse are designed for individual species, with spaces for small fish to escape predators and glass enclaves that offer shelter for octopus and sea urchins.

A closer view of The Ocean Siren. Image credit - Jason deCaires Taylor.

Ocean Siren, a four-metre high illuminated sculpture also by deCaires Taylor, is modelled on Takoda Johnson, a young girl from the Wulgurukaba tribe.

Powered by solar panels, at night its changing surface colour visually represents the daily average water temperature, both celebrating the scientific and technological expertise of the area and warning viewers of the devastating effects of climate change on the Reef.

The floating trees are supported by buoyancy devices. Image credit - Jason deCaires Taylor.

According to deCaires Taylor, “Ocean Siren aims to bring reef science directly into an urban environment in a live, visual and emotive way, distilling this complex issue into a clear and stark message.”

Coral Greenhouse was due to open to the public in April this year, but has been postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Future sites for the Museum of Underwater Art are planned at Magnetic Island and Palm Island, and it’s estimated the project will generate more than $42.1 million annually and create 182 jobs.

Coral Greenhouse aims to educate visitors about the Great Barrier Reef, as the coral reef system is the largest structure in the world created by living organisms, but rising sea temperatures are increasing mass coral bleaching events.

deCaires Taylor says the project is, “a starting point and new perspective for an understanding of the Great Barrier Reef and its ecology”, while the Museum of Underwater Art describes it as, “a beautiful blend of art, science, culture and conservation to create a thought-provoking encounter with the Great Barrier Reef.”