SHINE ON, YOU CRAZY CORAL
Year: 2024 Type: Site specific Underwater Installation
In collaboration with The Black Diamond, Royal Danish Library, SHINE ON, YOU CRAZY CORAL was exhibited
in the dark water of the harbour during Copenhagen Light Festival 2nd-25th February 2024.
Why do corals glow in the dark? This is one of the ocean’s most beautiful and striking mysteries. Shine on, You Crazy Coral invites the audience to experience one of nature’s wondrous luminous phenomenons: fluorescent corals.
Recent collapses of coral ecosystems around the world is the first catastrophe unequivocally tied to global warming. In researching why particular coral species glow in the dark, scientists now believe this fluorescent phenomenon to be a defence mechanism against damaging sun rays and rising sea temperatures. In the installation, we witness coral individuals in a luminous appearance of sunblock and heat dissipation, as they shine for survival.
Installation details
Shine On, You Crazy Coral, 2024
Site-specific 1-channel video installation with 2-channel sound
Video projection onto semi-transparent floating fabric in water
Duration: 3 min (loop)
Variable dimensions (approx. 5 × 6 m)
Presented at Copenhagen Light Festival, 2024
Excerpt from the installation video:
The footage features corals of the genus Symphyllia.
The coral makes its own light using colourful fluorescent pigments. The pigments absorb the blue light from the underwater environment and re-emit it as a red and green glow. By producing its own light, the coral can illuminate the symbiotic algae that live deep inside the tissue.
Playback speed: 9x
Behind the scenes
These images offer a glimpse into the working process behind Shine On, You Crazy Coral.
They document the development of the work, from experimentation and filming to the installation in the waters of Copenhagen Harbour.
Credits
Artist: Maja Friis.
Scientist: Elena Bollati.
Producer: Sofie Mønster.
Cinematography: Maja Friis and Elena Bollati
Audiovisual setup: Nikolaj Dinesen.
Composer: Martin Dirkov.
Consultant, scenography: Elisabeth Holager Lund.
Consultant, cinematography: Brian Curt Pedersen.
Consultant, underwater setup: Mads W. Friis
Thank you
Prof. Michael Kühl
Biologisk Institut, Københavns Universitet
Carsten Kehler Andersen, Decocean Aquarium
Stromma
Det Kongelige Bibliotek
The project is supported and made in collaboration with Copenhagen Light Festival.