Our ocean’s coral reefs are rapidly turning into anemic wastelands due to global warming. Fading Reefs visually communicates coral bleaching through the photographic process of anthotype printing, which uses the light sensitivity of plants to create a photograph. The print develops as the sunlight destroys the pigment in the exposed areas of the plant emulsion, bleaching the print. Unable to be fixed, the prints will fade over time. The anthotype process is a perfect way to tell the reefs’ stories, the bleaching pigment in the prints references the devastating loss of pigment rich algae that not only give corals their colors, but most importantly keep them alive. The anthotype prints in Fading Reefs are delicate, time sensitive, and beautiful – just like our ocean’s coral reefs.
Anthotype prints made with beets, blackberries, kale, and red cabbage
Installation Images from Lands End at the Cliff House Group Exhibition, 2021
(Unable to be fixed anthotypes will fade over time, especially if exposed to UV light. I worked with the curator for this exhibition to design a special viewing space highlighting the delicacy of the prints and coral reefs. With ornate frames, black velvet curtains, and dim lighting, viewers are invited to look but also to question ephemerality.)