Friends and families dived into our Splash! exhibition for our first Summer Fun experience on Sunday, July 12, to discover more about the 1,000 Mermaids Project presented by Ocean Rescue Alliance International. Lindsay Humbles, ORAI’s Educational and Outreach Coordinator, showed us how to “Build-a-Reef” out of modeling clay and succulents to better understand how they create artificial coral reefs in underwater sculpture gardens offshore in Hollywood.
As Lindsay explained, succulents regenerate without the need for pollination and propagate via leaves or “pups,” miniature, fully formed clones of the mother plant. Pups and undamaged leaves can be regrown in succulent soil to create a genetically identical plant. Similarly, coral starts as a single polyp that duplicates itself by budding off exact genetic copies. These polyps are tiny animals that extract calcium and carbonate from seawater to build chalky skeletons around their bodies. As the polyps multiply, the skeletons fuse, creating massive living colonies and, over centuries, expansive reef structures. To grow, coral relies on a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae that live inside the polyp and provide the coral with brilliant colors and most of their energy through photosynthesis.
The Ocean Rescue Alliance is out-planting corals using the Coral Lok system developed by Reef Cells, which allows lab-cultivated coral fragments to be embedded into artificial modules to restore the coral reefs offshore in Florida and improve the marine ecosystem. Their innovative structures are designed to attract a wide range of fish species, providing them with refuge from predators. Some are designed in the form of mermaids, which lure divers and snorkelers for photo opportunities, creating a new type of underwater eco-tourism promoted by the 1000 Mermaids Project.
One of the WMODA guests at the living reef sculpture workshop decided to recreate the mermaid habitat displayed by ORAI, using their miniature model as inspiration. Others focused on creating shark, whale, and turtle sculptures to house their succulents. They had plenty of opportunities to study the Ardmore marine creatures surrounding them in our Splash! exhibition. Some participants painted their succulent habitats in vivid colors, while others preferred a natural look for their garden settings. The clay modeling experience gave everyone a taste for the production process behind the full-size ORAI marine modules
The ORAI prototype sculptures are modeled in clay at the Reef Cells studio, beginning as miniature maquettes and then constructed into highly complex, textured shapes using a hybrid of eco-friendly, pH-neutral, marine-safe concrete. This ensures corals, oysters, sponges, and other marine invertebrates easily attach and thrive. Louise Irvine, our Executive Director and Curator, was awed by the process during her 2024 tour of the Reef Cells studio with founder Chris O’Hare and sculptor Sharon Halupka.
While the clay workshop models were drying at WMODA, ready to take home, participants snacked on Goldfish crackers and enjoyed the Mermaid Tail photo opportunity on loan from ORAI. They also set off around the museum with the new Mermaid Quest scavenger hunt to find the elusive sirens hiding among the exhibits. Once again, humanity’s fascination with these mythological creatures continues to inspire us to consider our important role in conserving the marine ecosystem. Visit the Splash exhibition at WMODA to discover how the ocean inspires the Fired Arts and learn more about ORAI’s work in Hollywood, FL. Splash! ends on September 27.
Read more about the work of ORAI and Reef Cells
World Oceans Day
