By Julie Light
I’m Julie Light, an artist who explores themes of health, disease, and the visual expression of illness. While much of my work has been focused on human health and cancer research, I’ve recently transitioned to examining the health of oceans. This shift combines my longstanding interest in medical discovery with the untapped potential of marine ecosystems.
Core Medium: Why Glass?
Glass is central to my practice, valued for its creative and technical challenges. It allows me to explore the fragility and interconnectedness of relationships—be it among humans, ecosystems, or other life forms. Through techniques like pâte de verre, I create translucent and textured sculptures that evoke the mystery and delicacy of life in the deep sea.
The Marine Museum of Lost Potential: Origins and Inspirations
This project began during the pandemic when I felt compelled to play and experiment in my studio. Inspired by articles on nudibranchs and sea slugs adapting to warming oceans, I initially imagined whimsical hybrids with plastic pollution. However, a visit to the National Oceanography Centre, where I encountered the Discovery Collections curated by taxonomist Tammy Horton, gave the project a new, more grounded direction.
Key Inspiration: The story of an amphipod carrying a single egg and the larger issue of undocumented species highlighted the devastating loss of marine biodiversity before it’s even known to science.
Fictionalizing Reality: The Marine Museum Concept
The Marine Museum of Lost Potential is a fictional space dedicated to imagining the creatures and ecosystems lost before discovery. By blending playful creativity with scientific rigor, I explore the untapped ecological and medical potential destroyed with these habitats.
Key Elements:
Capsule creatures inspired by antibiotics, integrating deep-sea forms.
Museum-like displays that mimic taxonomic conventions, complete with cases and descriptions.
Why It Matters: Connecting the Unknown to Conservation
This project challenges the conventions of museums and scientific documentation. It asks:
What determines which species we care about and preserve?
How do we make invisible, unstudied species more visible in conservation narratives?By centering overlooked marine life, I aim to broaden the scope of extinction and preservation stories.
Looking Ahead: The Potential of Collaboration and Evolving Narratives
Collaboration has always been fundamental to my practice. The Marine Museum of Lost Potential is an evolving project, shaped by ongoing partnerships with scientists and researchers. Its ultimate goal is to spark curiosity and provoke deeper engagement with the unseen and undervalued life forms in our oceans.
I’ll end with a quote from Ursula K. Heise, who writes about extinction narratives. She says, "The valuation of biodiversity and efforts to protect it are profound cultural ventures embedded in historic traditions and value frameworks that determine which lives are appreciated and conserved, and which are disregarded, left to die, or actively exterminated."
So, there you have it — the Marine Museum of Lost Potential.
Conclusions
How can art, through imaginative narratives and creative mediums like glass, illuminate the fragility and untapped potential of marine ecosystems while challenging conventional conservation priorities?
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