Linocut with mica powder on polyester fabric, Nytex mesh, light, 2013
2000mm (h) 3620 (circumference)
“The experiential process of observation and reflection is key to art and science and is an essential component in understanding interdependence of all species and ecosystems, terrestrial and aquatic”.
“Suspending Ocean Veil from a single pivot point allows for rotating movement and comprises a light floating form that resembles at once an ice core and the circling ocean. A hoop needs to be inserted into a gutter sewn in the top, to create a smooth tubular form. This can be suspended at a height that suits the space and public accessibility, preferably with some air space beneath. The linocut design is printed with white ink and fills the mesh, just as real diatoms do when they are trawled and collected. The design has repeats that create a continuous pattern around the surface. Backlighting of all structures is important to reveal the printed forms in silhouette. Lighting for Ocean Veil needs to be cool blue. “
From: Notes for exhibition designers by Lisa Roberts.
Ocean Veil and Luminous Specimens I & II were pieces I made for the Living Data 2013 exhibition in Sydney, Australia, on ocean science and climate change. I made a suspended mesh printed with pattern of diatoms, small marine algae that are at the bottom of the food-chain and are threatened by warming and acidification of the ocean.
The printed pattern is from the same linocut I used for the Phytoplankton Courante in the Mesh Suite Series. The total surface area of printed fabric was 4 x 12 feet. The sheer, polyester fabric is printed with white and mica powder and backlighting it creates silhouettes.
The installation crew at the Muse gallery did a great job in installing and lighting my piece! It is cyclindrical in shape, like a plankton collecting net. The light is actually changing from brighter to softer intensity and the veil is swaying slightly because of draft in the room or created by people moving past it.
The Whole marine ecosystem depends, more than anything, on phytoplankton. Phytoplankton depends on physical conditions, such as sunlight, nutrients, and water temperature, and act as a bridge between the physical and the biological by being the very basis of the food chain. (240)
Lisa-Ann Gerschwin, Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the future of the Ocean, University of Chicago Press, 2013
Photo credit image #1, 12: Stephen Pierce
Photo credit image 2: Paul Fletcher
Photo credit image 4: Monique St. Croix-Unique perspectives
Photo credit image 5: Aran Wilkinson-Blanc