In 2024, while studying the relationship between coral reef and open ocean food webs, the central Red Sea experienced an unprecedented marine heat wave that bleached and killed nearly every coral down to sixty feet deep. In this work, the team chose to explore the emotional impacts of rising global ocean temperatures, the devastation it causes, and the relationship of humans to the continuity of these ecosystems. The team mapped 2024 Red Sea water temperature data to sound and visual animation and projected these looping time-dependent pieces onto a human spine-like coral sculpture with short-lived burning candles at the tips of its branches. The combination of these elements leads the audience through an emotional exploration of the sequence of devastation, the aftermath of human-caused ecosystem death and how we may move forward from this.

"Our project went through several sketched out ideas but the idea of sonification of the data didn’t change much. Our primary idea was to actually use a large speaker to displace water into unique and interesting patterns with the sound of the reef data"

—Connor

“It was a really cool new experience to communicate and bounce ideas with Rong on the emotional component of a coral bleaching event, while also remaining scientifically true. I learned a ton about how different people approach a project like this and the different approaches of artists, designers and scientists to the same topic can produce vastly different results. I was really inspired how Rong could so quickly transform the scientific concept into a communicative/ emotional artistic decision.”

—Connor