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I’ve been working as a reef sculptor for the last 4 years and have made several installations that I’m proud of, but none nearly as much as this latest piece.
This “Tree of Life” is an electrified artificial reef, which causes it to form a crust of limestone on its surfaces creating a bio-engineered habitat for the coral that we’ll garden across the sculpture. This is just one piece, a part of a larger electrified site that I’ve been creating through the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program and in partnership with coralAID for the last 2 years. You can find more context on this concept here.
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Growing the Tree
Transportation
Finally 10 meters below the surface of the ocean, the Tree of Life stands
Dascyllus Damsel Fish checking out the latest addition to the seafloor
The work has only just begun. Now to garden this space with small, naturally fragmented coral that we’ll find lying in the sand
These coral fragments, broken by waves and careless activity will be rescued from the sands where they would otherwise die, and fixed to the bars of the sculpture where they’ll thrive and grow into healthy colonies
The sculpture took several months to complete, and in that time it sat on my balcony as a lamp so it wasn’t entirely functionless
It won’t light up my bungalow any more, but it’ll be so much more useful to the marine life that will call it home
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What do you think ?
Teresa Anthony 6 years ago
Not only does the tree look beautiful, it also helps save precious coral reefs. You're an amazing person!
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
Thank you so so much for your words. The intent of these projects is to draw attention to these threatened ecosystems and of course to serve as a home for the corals I so love. If you're interested in more of my work check out my other Bored Panda posts or have a look at some of the articles I've written on my program's page at newheavenreefconservation.org.
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Just Carmen 6 years ago
What a great thing you're doing. I wish you would've shown how you attach the coral on to the tree though. That would have been so interesting to see.
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
We bind corals to the metal structure with metal wire, so it carries the impressed current running through the sculpture and binds the coral to the bars with a layer of limestone, the same material that corals use to build there skeleton. It's been suggested that it improves the growth rates of coral by 3-5 times, but we're running a test to prove that for ourselves as the technology only just became available now that it's 10 year patent has run out. Thanks so much for the kind words!
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Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
I most certainly shall! Thanks for the encouragement. Check out my other Bored Panda posts for some of my other projects or check out my program's webpage at newheavenreefconservation.org. Or take a look at some of the articles I put together about more of my work: https://newheavenreefconservation.org/learning-resources/articles/136-an-electric-light-of-hope https://newheavenreefconservation.org/learning-resources/articles/122-drowning-in-despair
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Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
Thank you, I so appreciate that! The corals will make it a lot more beautiful too.
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Lonely Dragon 6 years ago
Yes! What a good initiative. I want to become an adult quickly so I can start donating my own money to the cause of saving coral.
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
If more people out there had that attitude we'd all live in a better world. Thanks for caring!
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Siona Woods 6 years ago
Love it, it was absolutely gorgeous as a light on your porch stunning. But how wonderful to be making this for the good of the coral reefs. Congrats amazing
ElisabethN. 6 years ago
For a long time I'm thinking about doing volunteering to help life in the ocean, and when I see these things... it just makes me happy, in a complete sense.
Silent Skeleton 6 years ago
Great way to create a new reef and save coral :oD Hope you can post some pictures of it in a few years when the coral grows more! I bet it'll be even more gorgeous :o)
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
I'll definitely be making more posts in the future about the progress of these artificial reefs. Unfortunately, coral reefs are slow growth ecosystems and these things take time, but on some of my older sculptures we're already seeing some incredible results. Very excited to share it all in the not so distant future!
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Effseven Six 6 years ago
Stunning! Two of my life long loves together, trees and the sea. I love it.
Teresa Anthony 6 years ago
Not only does the tree look beautiful, it also helps save precious coral reefs. You're an amazing person!
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
Thank you so so much for your words. The intent of these projects is to draw attention to these threatened ecosystems and of course to serve as a home for the corals I so love. If you're interested in more of my work check out my other Bored Panda posts or have a look at some of the articles I've written on my program's page at newheavenreefconservation.org.
Load More Replies... Just Carmen 6 years ago
What a great thing you're doing. I wish you would've shown how you attach the coral on to the tree though. That would have been so interesting to see.
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
We bind corals to the metal structure with metal wire, so it carries the impressed current running through the sculpture and binds the coral to the bars with a layer of limestone, the same material that corals use to build there skeleton. It's been suggested that it improves the growth rates of coral by 3-5 times, but we're running a test to prove that for ourselves as the technology only just became available now that it's 10 year patent has run out. Thanks so much for the kind words!
Load More Replies... Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
I most certainly shall! Thanks for the encouragement. Check out my other Bored Panda posts for some of my other projects or check out my program's webpage at newheavenreefconservation.org. Or take a look at some of the articles I put together about more of my work: https://newheavenreefconservation.org/learning-resources/articles/136-an-electric-light-of-hope https://newheavenreefconservation.org/learning-resources/articles/122-drowning-in-despair
Load More Replies... Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
Thank you, I so appreciate that! The corals will make it a lot more beautiful too.
Load More Replies... Lonely Dragon 6 years ago
Yes! What a good initiative. I want to become an adult quickly so I can start donating my own money to the cause of saving coral.
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
If more people out there had that attitude we'd all live in a better world. Thanks for caring!
Load More Replies... Siona Woods 6 years ago
Love it, it was absolutely gorgeous as a light on your porch stunning. But how wonderful to be making this for the good of the coral reefs. Congrats amazing
ElisabethN. 6 years ago
For a long time I'm thinking about doing volunteering to help life in the ocean, and when I see these things... it just makes me happy, in a complete sense.
Silent Skeleton 6 years ago
Great way to create a new reef and save coral :oD Hope you can post some pictures of it in a few years when the coral grows more! I bet it'll be even more gorgeous :o)
Spencer Arnold (Post author) 6 years ago
I'll definitely be making more posts in the future about the progress of these artificial reefs. Unfortunately, coral reefs are slow growth ecosystems and these things take time, but on some of my older sculptures we're already seeing some incredible results. Very excited to share it all in the not so distant future!
Load More Replies... Effseven Six 6 years ago
Stunning! Two of my life long loves together, trees and the sea. I love it.
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