AQUATERRESTRIAL RECOLONIZATION INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION


Aquaterrestrial Recolonization is an interactive installation where visitors are confronted with the current state of the Bahamian dead coral reefs and AI-generated visual reconstruction of the reef if not exposed to human destruction and annihilation throughout the decades. We are using AI technology to generate new coral reefs and confront the audience with what we lost, where we are, and what needs to be rebuilt to preserve our planet for the next generations. The visitors' interaction with the installation over a pseudo ocean temperature controller is conceptualized to educate and arouse their climate action-related behavior change.


For several decades, scientists have warned of climate change’s impending impact, specifically on small island developing states such as The Bahamas. The low-lying Bahamian archipelago, mainly geologically composed of limestone, has been identified as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world susceptible to sea level rise. It has been ranked among the top five of the almost 200 global countries Member States of the United Nations. It is projected that by 2050, 10 − 12% of Bahamian territory will be lost. Hurricanes/Tropical Cyclones present another major existential threat to coral reef systems in The Bahamas. With exponential rises in temperature and sea levels, there has been a dramatic increase in the frequency and strength of these catastrophic storms as well. Further compounding the plight of coral colonies in the region is the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. First reported in Florida (2014), SCTLD is a lethal waterborne disease that affects more than 30 species of corals causing high coral mortality. It has traveled from Florida to The Bahamas and is spreading south throughout the Caribbean. It takes approximately 10-15 years for the fastest-growing coral to recover from a major disturbance. On that account, one can/we posit that coral can be fixed more quickly than the climate itself. With the Bahamas having the world’s third largest barrier reef It is critical that we utilize advanced technology to document and monitor the state of The Bahamas’ coral reefs and also generate robust solutions for climate action. Several environmental institutions within the Bahamas which are committed to the preservation, conservation, and recultivating of more resilient corals have been actively researching while lobbying for more robust environmental policies. Missing from the equation, however, has been the utilization of advanced AI and the creative visualization of data as a means of education to influence human behavior. It is envisioned that our work will assist The Bahamas in achieving the SDG goals mandate, which is critical to its survival. Interactive Installation Aquaterrestrial Recolonisation is a joint project of an international group of artists from the Bahamas, the United States, and Italy proactively responding to rising climate change concerns. We are recording the current state of the surrounding dead coral reefs and feeding AI with that data to visualize a recolonized ocean floor; calculated imaging, returning to the planet parts mankind has destroyed. In our project, we use AI as Earth’s protector from further devastations. Throughout history, human civilization has been ignorant and often motivated only by profit and exploitation to take us to the point of watching our planet dying. We are driven by the idea that maybe it is time to give to another intelligent entity based on logic and calculations rather than being greedy and careless. We are using AI technology to generate new coral reefs and confront the audience with what we lost, where we are, and what needs to be rebuilt to preserve our planet for the next generations.

  • 2022 - crQlr Awards Tokyo, Japan
  • 2022 - Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
  • 2022 - ISEA 2022 Barcelona, Spain
  • 2021 - ARTECH, Aveiro, Portugal
  • 2021 - ACM Multimedia, Chengdu, China
  • 2020 - SIGGRAPH Asia, Daegu, South Korea
  • 2019 - Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
  • 2019 - EmTech MIT, Dubai, UAE
  • 2019 - Technarte, Bilbao, Spain
  • 2018 - SIGGRAPH, Vancouver, Canada
  • 2018 - Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
  • 2018 - Technarte, Los Angeles, USA
  • 2017 - SIGGRAPH Asia, Bangkok, Thailand

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