SUBAQUATICA
Subaquatica is a window into a world both known and alien, where art and science converge and the comfortingly familiar becomes surprisingly foreign. Subaquatica is a series of video projections inspired by ecological habitat surveys from the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA)’s Reef Watch. Video and photographs used by scientists to identify aquatic life and measure population sizes in Victorian marine environments are creatively repurposed into intriguing and entertaining video art. Entering this art/science conversation from different points of view, artistic interpretation and scientific research share the concern of gaining a better understanding of native wildlife and habitat.
Subaquatica is the result of a collaboration between the VNPA and the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA), La Trobe University, Australia facilitated by Jan Hendrik Brüggemeier and creatively visualised by Rose Staff.
Victorian waters are “at the confluence of three biographical provinces … more species-rich than most other temperate seas worldwide.” (VNPA). Many species are yet to be discovered by the human eye. Portholes into the underwater world projected onto windows of city buildings highlight the intricate connection of ecosystems and the fragile balance required to maintain their biodiversity.