Tombstone (close up).
From April 13 – May 4 we will have Tombstone, our new installation, on exhibition at Swampspace in the Design District of Miami. The piece consists of a projection of Colpophyllia natans thrown onto a keystone screen of its own fossilized ancestors, set upon concrete blocks, they themselves comprised of calcium derived from ancient Floridian reefs.
Pictured above and below is ‘Version Key’ as installed at the Miami’s Independent Thinkers art show during the days of Art Basel Miami Beach. The aquarium consisted of an eroded cinder block, red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) seedling, and three upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana) pulsating on oolitic sand; not an atypical South Floridian assemblage. It was displayed against a silver parachute backdrop on a concrete block pedestal surrounded by oolitic sand.
Cuddle Fish is the creation of Miami contemporary artist Bhakti Baxter. The limited-edition zine, also compiled and printed by Baxter, features images contributed by a collection of his peers. The cover image is a Sepia sp. Cuttlefish that Colin photographed back in 2007 in Tulamben, Bali. You can find this zine in physical form at happenings around Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach 2009.
CORAL MORPHOLOGIC Art Basel Miami Beach 2009 schedule:
American Airlines Arena – Jumbotron Projection
Miami’s Independent Thinkers – Aquarium Installation
The Museo Vault – Aquarium Installation
Moksha Art Fair – Projection
Sweat Records – Aquarium Installation
Still photo (above) of aquarium/ projection of our contribution to the Sweat Records X Iggy Pop t-shirt release party, August 22, 2009 at the Awarehouse in the Wynwood Art District. This installation consists of a 10″ X 10″ X 4″ acrylic aquarium atop an overhead projector projecting a 15′ X 15′ image onto the courtyard wall. The live-action component of the installation features a performance by thirty photosynthetic jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana) collected in the mangrove estuary near the Virginia Key Wastewater Treatment Plant, here in Miami, FL.
Still photo (above) of aquarium/ projection of our contribution to The Collabo Show, July 25, 2009; an installation dubbed ‘Cassiopeia 1’, featuring photosynthetic jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana) collected in the mangrove estuary near the Virginia Key Wastewater Treatment Plant, here in Miami, FL.
Saturday, July 25th we will be exhibiting a live aquarium and video projection in The Collabo Show, a one-night only showcase of contemporary Miami artists. 85 NW 71 Street, Little Haiti. 7PM – 12AM.
Pictured above is an aquarium that Jared and I established in late 2004. It is currently maintained most capably by Jared’s father Dennison in New Hampshire. It is stocked entirely with plants that originated from a 150 gallon angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) aquarium I had enjoyed in Miami from 2003-2004. The dominant plants are Cryptocoryne wendtii, Crinum thaianum, and Microsorum pteropus (Java fern). All of these plants are hardy, and don’t require much special care. The aquarium is stocked with a variety of standard “community” freshwater fish such as tetras, platys, and rasboras. This aquarium is a nice example of a natural, planted aquarium that requires a low degree of maintenance, yet rewards with a high amount of peaceful satisfaction.
Whilst perusing eBay for rare corallimorph morphs, I happened to stumble upon these radical stamps, featuring corals from around the globe. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity (perfectly good reason to justify their purchase…), so for a total of $6 (including shipping) they are now part of the Coral Morphologic collection. I say “yes” to these stamps, and encourage more developing coral reef-fringed nations to do the same (I’ll keep buying).
Discosoma (Rhodactis) sanctithomae: totally awesome Caribbean coralllimorph.
Pseudocorynactis caribbeorum: non-photosynthetic, cryptic Caribbean corallimorph.
Blastomussa merleti fluorescence photograph from Noumea Aquarium, New Caledonia (1979).
“huh-huh-huh, huh-huh-huh, that coral is like, horny, Beavis”
Sorry, too easy, I couldn’t resist.
