A generative artwork reminding us of the importance of gathering together to confine our impact on ecosystems. Co(r)ral highlights the process of coral bleaching and our ability to act to reverse it. It will be exhibited at UNESCO HQ in Paris in partnership with Museum Week, UNESCO and Verse. It will also be shown on over 1,600 video billboards across Paris.
Co(r)ral builds upon Pointila – a long form generative art collection released on Art Blocks. Pointila explored how dots reminiscent of Pointillist painting could create a range of generative landscapes in different styles.
Co(r)ral dives beneath the ocean. Its verticality a reminder of hidden depths. Its colours inspired by the vibrancy of coral reefs. Like those reefs, it is dynamic: existing between a healthy, colourful state and a damaged, bleached state. Just as coral can recover from bleaching if temperatures drop and conditions normalise so Co(r)ral loops between those states – a reminder of our responsibility to act to reverse the damage.
Co(r)ral can be displayed in triptych to highlight the change in state. It can be displayed as a looping, live artwork or as a single interactive piece – clicking starts and stops the animation loop. When viewed up close, you can see the distinct dots that create the piece.
Co(r)ral will be part of an exhibition at UNESCO HQ in Paris alongside work from Michaël Zancan, Sofia Crespo & Feileacan McCormick, Polina Kuznetsova, Nikolina Kovalenko, Di Couto and 4th block. The theme for the exhibition is reconciliation with the living.
This collection looks to examine that theme through the lens of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching occurs when coral is stressed, causing it to expel the colourful zooxanthellae that live inside the coral providing energy and nutrients. The most common cause of stress leading to coral bleaching is rising ocean temperature, although pollution can also be a factor. Between 1985 and 2018, 87% of the world’s reefs experienced bleaching level heat stress and in March 2022 91% of the Great Barrier Reef was impacted by bleaching.
If water temperature and other conditions return to normal then coral can recover from bleaching, rather than dying. Co(r)ral seeks not only to highlight the dramatic impact of coral bleaching but also to remind us that the damage can be reversed.
Like the coral inspiring it, Co(r)ral is a dynamic artwork. Clicking on a live piece will trigger an animation loop between its healthy, colourful state and its stressed bleach state. Clicking again will pause the loop. Each piece has an initial state which is either healthy, mixed or bleached.
The colours of Co(r)ral are inspired by the vibrancy of coral reefs and the rich marine life they support. In some pieces you can see rays of sunlight illuminating the scene, in others that light is occluded.
There's a total of nine different colour palettes, each named for a type of coral: Bubble, Carnation, Gorgonian, Leaf, Pipe, Precious, Starlet, Sun and Vase. Colour is typically applied per layer but occasionally forms a gradient across the piece.
