Beneath the surface: signals from the reef

Coral Dolan

Opening: April 8 5:30 pm

Viewing: April 7 until April 24

This body of work responds to the proposed industrial activity off the Taranaki coastline, and the potential impacts on the delicate reef environments that exist offshore. These works examine the effects of climate change on our oceans, while inviting a deeper emotional connection to the largely unseen environment of the reefs.

In this exhibition I hope to not only raise an awareness of the threats to the continued health but to also communicate the fragility of the reefs. While coral bleaching – an indicator of stress caused by changes in temperature, light or nutrients – may cause them to turn white, they can still recover.

This loss of colour is something that I have represented with detailed close-up objects that are inspired by the reef, indicating not only fragility but the delicate details that are never seen, taking something usually only experienced in photographs into a tangible object. Reminiscent of the paint by numbers from childhood, these white objects sit alongside their coloured counterparts where the juxtaposition of the objects exist as a quiet reminder of what is at stake if we fail to protect these underwater worlds.

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