Hope Ginsburg, Matt Flowers, Joshua Quarles
Swirling captures the processes of underwater coral farming and reef restoration and brings them to viewers in vignettes highlighting human ingenuity and folly in the face of catastrophic climate change. The piece was shot on location in the coral nurseries and outplant sites of The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and takes its name from one of the shooting sites “Swirling Reef of Death” – as well as the “swirling” of factors that will determine the unknown outcome of the coral restoration narrative. Swirling proposes laboring with other species, in this case communities of hard corals, for our shared survival.
The three main screens in the Swirling installation reveal parts of the process; a fourth and smaller screen shows thriving coral outplanted to the reef with the fish that have returned to live in its habitat. This fourth channel is only one possible end to a story that is otherwise full of questions, particularly given the Climate Report released in October 2018 by the United Nations predicting a mass die-off of coral reefs by 2040. Swirling’s processes are alternately pragmatic and surreal and point to human ingenuity and folly in the face of catastrophic climate change.
Hope Ginsburg, Matt Flowers, Joshua Quarles
Shot on location in the coral nurseries and outplant sites of The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Divers
Conrad Hoover
Emmanuel Irizarry-Soto
Kemit-Amon Lewis
Pamela Pedley
Lisa K. Terry
Camera
Matt Flowers
Editing and Color
Alexis McCrimmon
Sound
Joshua Quarles
Support Provided By
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Robert Rauschenberg Residency
VCUarts Art Foundation Program
VCUarts Arts Research Institute
Film / Video Studio at the Wexner Center for the Arts
Special Thanks
Elissa Armstrong
Ann Brady
Molly Burke
Shelly Casto
Christine Costello
Sarah B. Cunningham
Greg Falconer
Emory Flowers
Jeff Gay
Lisa Gay
Rachel Hilton
Bill Horrigan
Sarah Howard
Jenny Keith
Jennifer Lange
Heather McRae
Ty McRae
Paul Vrabcak
Michele Wick
Jeff Zaring
Cane Bay Dive Shop
Discovery Grove
Smith College Kahn Liberal Arts Institute
The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean
Swirling premiered in the Sponge Exchange exhibition, January 17–March 7, 2020, at the USF Contemporary Art Museum, curated by Sarah Howard. Many thanks to Sarah Howard, Anthony Wong Palms, Don Fuller and Gary Schmitt for their installation design and support.
The Swirling project preview, March–August 2019, took place at the Arts Research Institute at VCUarts, supported by a 2018–2019 Arts Research Fellowship. Many thanks to Sarah B. Cunningham, Tracy Leipold, Dinkus Deane and his team, Joanna Patzig and all supporters at VCUarts. Read about the ARI fellowship year here.
Read a review of Swirling in New Earthworks at ASU Art Museum in Hyperallergic, "New Generation of Land Artists Embodies a Call for Action."
Read an article about Swirling in VCU News: "Optimistic and Tragic: A Glimpse of Coral Restoration."
Read about Swirling in the Sponge Exchange exhibition catalog.
Divers
Conrad Hoover
Emmanuel Irizarry-Soto
Kemit-Amon Lewis
Pamela Pedley
Lisa K. Terry
Camera
Matt Flowers
Editing and Color
Alexis McCrimmon
Sound
Shot on location in the coral nurseries and outplant sites of The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Support provided by the Film / Video Studio Program at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
A complete list of credits is at the link above.
Installation view: Sponge Exchange
USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, Florida
2020
Pictured to the Left: Coastorama
Installation view: Sponge Exchange
USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, Florida
2020
Pictured to the Right: Coastorama