The Seagrass Walk

During the summer I received an email from Dr Sian Rees, a researcher at Plymouth Universities’ Marine Institute. I had met Sian during my residency at the MI, a meeting that had changed my life and my work completely.

Her email was brief, it contained a link, some documents to download, a few details and a question- ‘We could apply to this, do you have any ideas?’

The this in question was a funding opportunity with the Natural Environment Research Council for creative collaborative projects between a researcher/research organisation, a public facing organisation, and an artist. After reading everything Sian had sent and a few more emails going back and forth, I went for a long walk in the ruins of an old mine at the end of the road. I confused and thrilled the dog by walking our circuit around the mine pit over and over for hours until I finally had an idea solid enough to go home and send to Sian.

The idea: an immersive installation piece exploring and celebrating seagrass exhibited at the National Marine Aquarium.

Thankfully the NMA liked the idea and came on board, and so Sian put together an application. In early October we received a yes from NERC. Ever since then I have been working in secret, not allowed to share the news of this extraordinary opportunity.  But that changes today. Today the news has gone public, and I can finally share the details with you all.

I am officially Blue Carbon Artist in Residence! I will be working on a NERC funded project with the Marine Institute, the National Marine Aquarium, the Ocean Conservation Trust and Plymouth City Council. With their support, input, aid, and scientific expertise I will be creating The Seagrass Walk, an installation and series of satellite exhibitions that will open at the NMA and around Plymouth City next summer.

I am beyond excited.

This is the sort of career changing moment I have dreamt of. I have a chance to do something that bridges conservation, science and the arts, something that will help engage people in one of the most important marine plants in the world. Something that could change not only my life and career, but also help in the fight against the climate crisis.

So, what is seagrass and why is it worth making art about?

It is the only flowering plant able to live and pollinate while submerged in water. It grows naturally in large groups, forming meadows in shallow water around the world. Seagrass meadows stabilise the seabed to prevent erosion, cause currents to slow so that nutrients can settle, form habitats and nurseries for a wide variety of aquatic life, and sequester huge amounts of carbon in their leaves, roots, and sediment. This carbon sequestration is part of what is known as Blue Carbon, carbon sequestered by the ocean and ocean life, without which life on earth would not be possible.

As you can tell from all that it is an important plant. It is also an interesting challenge as an artist because essentially it is long underwater grass. Pretty but not exactly awe inspiring. And that is exactly what I need to make it, because awe is what this incredible plant deserves to inspire. So that is my job: research, develop, design, and create a piece of art about seagrass that educates and inspires.

Today I went to visit some seagrass in Salcombe with the Estuaries Officer from the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It was the first time I have knowingly seen seagrass in person. Walking along the foreshore at low tide, wading out into the estuary in my wellies, collecting seagrass torn up by the recent storms, truly made the project feel real. Until today my work had involved reading articles and papers, having zoom calls, and researching installation artists for inspiration. Finally feeling the grass between my fingers and watching it sway in the tide has filled my mind with ideas, questions, and unfinished thoughts.

I cannot wait to see it again, to walk among it, to see it by boat, to swim in it, to photograph it, film it, sculpt it, to explore it in any and every way I can until I have the idea, the one that will be followed until, eventually, it becomes The Seagrass Walk.

As I do that, as this project develops and changes and grows, this newsletter will be the only place to get a deep insider look at my process of making and creating. So, stay tuned for more from this new and extraordinary piece of my adventure. I hope you enjoy coming along with me.

(And don’t worry, the van is still being built!)

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