Dr. David Vaughan has officially made a “splash” on the Great Barrier Reef. As part of the Museum of Underwater Art‘s continuing program of melding art and conservation as a way to teach visitors about coral reefs, the Ocean Sentinels have been installed! The 8 larger than life sculptures are the culmination of the creative vision of Jason deCaires Taylor, internationally renowned sculptor. Each subject represents a different contribution to reef research, restoration, and conservation.
The Ocean Sentinels installation joins the MOUA’s “Coral Greenhouse” at John Brewer Reef within the Great Barrier Reef and serves as a snorkel trail for visitors before the entry into the current installation. Each structure is over 6 feet tall and made from reinforced marine stainless steel incased in a new high grade, low carbon earth friendly concrete. As an addition to the already successful MOUA, the Ocean Sentinels highlight those “whose work in the field of marine science and marine conservation has been highly commended and influential in our understanding of reef protection” according to artist Jason deCaires Taylor, and show how just one person can make a difference in conservation.
They are made in the likeness of 8 champions for corals reefs, representing different types of conservation leaders, including marine scientists, youth leaders, and indigenous leaders, both past and present. Dr. David Vaughan, founder of the Plant a Million Corals Foundation and the scientist that discovered micro-fragmentation, is the only American represented in the mostly Australian cohort. Other Sentinels include Richard Braley, Peter Harrison, Jayme Marshall, Molly Steel, and Charlie Vernon.
After many years of planning and work, these statues have found their home on the John Brewer Reef, as a snorkel trail to the already established “Coral Greenhouse” underwater art installation. Dr. Vaughan was able to travel to Australia for the final placement. He joined a small group of observers including the artist and a few of the sentinels themselves. While there, he visited a planting program that he assisted in 2018 and was able to catch up with his colleagues. He was able to plant the first coral on a different statue, and so the program begins!
When asked about the experience:
“It is totally out of the range of normal thinking that you could ever imagine being privileged to have a statue made of yourself. Especially while you are still alive! Then, to be honored by being one of the eight ‘Ocean Sentinels’ to be splashed out on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia; and to be a part of the existing Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA), which is a spectacular array of statues in and around an underwater greenhouse. That exhibit, after just a few years, already has living corals and 5 times the abundance of sea creatures inhabiting the area that was only a sand bed between the reef sections of John Brewer Reef.
To see yourself as a multi-ton statue, with seven other reef heroes, on a barge prior to deployment is spooky and exhilarating at the same time. And for all of us to be captured by renowned artist Jason deCaires Taylor as stylized artistic versions of our work is unbelievable. My coral morphed statue is either being taken over by a brain coral or my brains are spilling out and forming into a massive coral head. If that is not fantastic enough, my one side is purposely open to attach corals to my right, better half. Thanks to all who made this possible, I am honored and humbled for this wonderful opportunity. I encourage everyone to go see it by snorkeling or diving and see how my coral farm is progressing.”
“MOUA’s exhibition is attracting global science interest and is opening new scientific opportunities. Our monitoring program and reef restoration activities are providing results that indicate strong aggregation of a diverse range of fish and coral species on site. The opportunity to work with the Sentinel muse on the site and the science, is very exciting,” said Deputy Chair of MOUA and renowned marine scientist Dr. Adam Smith.
