The interactive installation FadingColours by Noor Stenfert Kroese (NL) and Amir Bastan (IR) combines living algae cultures with data on coral bleaching in the world’s oceans, thus reflecting the situation of algae below the surface of the sea in real time.
Coral reefs not only provide protection and a habitat for numerous underwater species – they also live in close symbiosis with algae cultures and obtain their nutrients from them. Climate change is altering the living conditions of the algae. If they disappear, the lack of nutrients in the coral leads to bleaching and our world literally loses its colour.
FadingColours is an interactive installation that connects living algae cultures with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch. NOAA is a database used for monitoring and researching coral reefs worldwide, relying on data collected via satellites. The algae in the installation are exposed to the same environmental conditions (temperature, oxygen levels in the water, and light) as their counterparts in the coral reefs to which the five vessels are assigned. Their condition, therefore, reflects the state of their species and the corals beneath the ocean’s surface. Visitors are invited to navigate the map on the touchscreen to explore the state of coral reefs worldwide.
Credits
NOAA Coral Reef Watch
Text for audio/children – Lisa van der Hoeven