This project emerges from the aim to creatively visualize research on ferromanganese crusts, deep-sea rocks made from ambient seawater that serve as records of ocean history.

This knitted textile piece offers a tangible way to bring the deep sea up, making visible some of the unseen processes happening in the depths of the ocean. Ferromanganese crusts have recently drawn attention due to their high concentrations of economically valuable metals. As discussions and projects on deep-sea mining increase, so do concerns about its environmental impact, including habitat destruction, pollution, and sediment disturbances. These rocks, which take millions of years to form, hold invaluable information, making their preservation for scientific study crucial.

Knitting serves as a way to materialize the interconnectedness of the ocean. Just as a single yarn loops and entangles to form a fabric, the ocean can be thought as one vast, continuous system, a conveyor belt. This project highlights the importance of ferromanganese crusts as storied materials that hold memories of the ocean, advocating for their conservation and deeper understanding before they are irrevocably altered.

"When I originally applied to be a part of VIS-A-THON, I knew that I wanted to create a piece that would bring awareness to my topic of study: ferromanganese crusts, deep-sea rocks made out of seawater. My original idea was to tell a story about the rocks and their connection with the ocean, a way to bring the deep-sea up to land—submarine to subaerial. These rocks hold abundant economically valuable minerals locked within their matrix, which can be used in goods such as rechargeable batteries, electric vehicles, etc. While stakeholders are interested in potentially mining this deep-sea resource, these rocks are also recorders of ocean chemistry over the timing of their formation."

—Coralie

"I was drawn to the idea of creating a textile piece using certain knots/links to show organization versus disorganization, and corresponding to man-made versus raw materials. Maite helped to explain different knitting styles that we could use to help show this in the final piece. I am also very grateful to Maite for showing me the possibility of growing alum crystals on textiles."

—Coralie