Art Week installation calls attention to coral reef crisis

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ Right now, coral reefs around the globe are in crisis as warming oceans fueled by climate change is leading to bleaching and disease, wiping out what few corals remain.

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But a Miami-led effort is using art and science to help our corals out, and a new installation is turning heads on Miami Beach, with crowds from all over the world in town for Art Week.

ā€œI am so excited about whatā€™s going on right now,ā€ said Ximena Caminos, the founder and artistic director for The ReefLine. ā€œItā€™s the first time we have actual prototypes on the beach a few meters away from where they will be eventually deployed.ā€

The Miami Reef Star is an installation on the sand, showcasing what will soon be under the sea.

ā€œThe ocean will only accept artworks at certain times of the year,ā€ said The ReefLine Executive Director Brandi Reddick. ā€œSo our ideal time for deployment is April through September of next year.ā€

Miami visual artist Carlos Betancourt and architect Alberto Latorreā€™s stellar collaboration will feature prominently in what will be The ReefLine: a visionary sculpture park and artificial reef that will take form about 15 feet under the sea, just 600 feet off the shores of South Beach at 4th Street, expanding north for seven miles.

ā€œWe used to have the third largest reef line in the world, right here,ā€ said Betancourt. ā€œSo if we can do this through art, then itā€™s infinite what we can do.ā€

The goal is to help restore what our natural world is quickly losing.

It has been a devastating four decades for Floridaā€™s reef track. More than 90% of our coral cover is gone due to bleaching and disease exacerbated by climate change, habitat destruction and pollution. The reef line intends to bring back some of that lost coral.

The modules will be outfitted to easily attach coral fragments grown in nurseries, so that corals may be outplanted and propagate on their own. The first installation deployed will be Leandro Elrichā€™s ā€œOrder of Importance,ā€ an underwater, marine-safe, version of the 22 car sculptures that premiered during Art Week in 2019.

ā€œWeā€™re starting with cars, which are the perfect platform, because they have the perfect morphology of a reef, and weā€™re testing coral resiliency there,ā€ said Caminos. ā€œAnd then immediately after, as soon as we can and we get them engineered, the Miami reef star will come about.ā€

Fifty-seven stars will make up the final installation, slightly larger than the current prototypes currently on display off 36th Street Beach for Art Week.

Each star, made of pH-neutral sustainable concrete, was created with a 3D printer to reduce its carbon footprint.

ā€œItā€™s our vision is that as planes are coming, theyā€™ll be able to see this watermark,ā€ said Latorre. ā€œAnd the watermark is actually the shape of a beautiful star. The ReefLine will be part of that constellation which will give the city, like, a beautiful identity.ā€

And the cool thing about these sculptures is that they also create habitat. Each of these modules has these little holes to be able to recruit marine life, encouraging fish to swim in and claim this as their new home.

ā€œThis is what we call public housing for fish,ā€ said Reddick. ā€œLittle chambers designed with any structure so fish can actually take up habitat.ā€

Art, tech and science are converging to help guide our way through the challenges our marine environment is facing.

Right now, our planet is experiencing its fourth global coral bleaching event because of climate change.

Itā€™s devastating, because coral reefs are like the cities of the ocean, if the reefs die, entire ecosystems will collapse. The ReefLine aims to show the world, that we can help nature bounce back.

ā€œAll eyes in Miami, all eyes in nature, all eyes in The ReefLine,ā€ said Caminos. ā€œWe use this moment as a platform to show people how we collectively can create solutions and make Miami not just the city with a problem, but also the city with a solution.ā€

The Miami Reef Star is on display off Collins Avenue and 36th Street and will be up through the end of Art Week on Monday.


About the Authors
Louis Aguirre headshot

Louis Aguirre is an Emmy-award winning journalist who anchors weekday newscasts and serves as WPLG Local 10ā€™s Environmental Advocate.

Anastasia Pavlinskaya Brenman headshot

Anastasia Pavlinskaya Brenman is a 3-time Emmy Award winning producer and writer for Local 10ā€™s environmental news segment ā€œDonā€™t Trash Our Treasureā€.

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