With projects, travel plans, and deadlines delayed under a blanket of uncertainty induced by the CoVid-19 pandemic, three women – an artist, a scientist, and a filmmaker – brought to life ‘Future Pacific,’ a National Science Foundation-funded immersive art installation and documentary film. A blueprint for science communication, Future Pacific is as much the outcome of a unique creative process tying together disparate disciplines under trying times as it is a model for symbiosis between scientists, artists, filmmakers, and society. 

The Scientist: Dr. Nyssa Silbiger

Conducting her research on Mo’orea, a South Pacific Island in French Polynesia near Tahiti, Dr. Nyssa Silbiger, and her team are working to understand how seeping groundwater can impact coral reefs. “When it rains here, water percolates through the ground into subsurface aquifers, and it can seep onto coastal coral reefs through cracks in the ocean floor,” she explains. When land-based pollution from sewage and fertilizers contaminates the groundwater, this can also impact the sensitive coral reefs the water reaches.

As an Associate Professor in quantitative marine ecology at California State University, Northridge, Dr. Silbiger uses a diverse set of laboratory experiments, day-and-night fieldwork, and data modeling techniques to better understand how climate change affects coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs and rocky shores as well as the relationships between organisms, ecosystems, human intervention, and environmental change across local to global scales.  

While her research records valuable information on how human activities affect these ecosystems, she felt a vital link was missing: the connection people needed to have with her science about such remote yet critically important ecosystems. “People can’t protect or care about the things that they don’t connect with or understand.” 

“People can’t protect or care about the things that they don’t connect with or understand.”

Dr. Nyssa Silbiger
Marine Ecologist, Associate Professor
California State University, Northridge

Indeed, how do we highlight the threats facing coral reefs to those living in urban centers far-removed from the shores of Mo’orea? How do we share the latest research before it is too late? Recognizing a need to inspire an emotional connection in these far-off observers, Dr. Silbiger reached out to Lauren Shapiro, a childhood friend and artist experienced in generating awareness on pressing environmental issues through her work.  

Through their shared vision for a healthier ocean, the two women began to envision Future Pacific as a collaboration between Silbiger’s science and Shapiro’s art. “It occurred to me that partnering with an artist like Lauren could help change the public’s perception of science and communicate the importance of protecting the natural world,” remarked Dr. Silbiger. “I was moved by her aesthetic depiction of the fragility of natural ecosystems.”  

The Artist: Lauren Shapiro

The artistic half of Future Pacific, Lauren Shapiro holds an M.F.A from the University of Miami and is the Head of the Ceramics Studio at the Bakehouse Art Complex. Drawing inspiration from the natural world – from patterns, processes, systems, thresholds, and tipping points, she primarily combines ceramic art with social practice to foster a connection between people and their environment. Before Future Pacific, her work had taken her across the globe from China, where she was a resident artist at the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in Jingdezhen, to Brazil’s Labverde, where she completed a residency focused on the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest. 

Lauren had just returned home from teaching graduate students at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), on how to cast silicone molds using coral skeletons when the United States announced a nationwide lockdown for CoVid-19. Prior to the pandemic, the artist had made plans to travel to Dr. Silbiger’s research site and combine her observations of the reefs in Mo’orea into artistic interpretations with site-specific installations in Miami and Los Angeles. When Covid threw a curveball, the pair were forced to change course. 

“We had no idea back then what the pandemic meant – was it going to be a month? Two months? Six months? We didn’t know. We still don’t know. So, how do we plan for a future not knowing what’s going to happen? You just have to push forward.” said Shapiro speaking about her decision to realize this art project under such shifting circumstances. 

“When the structures were fresh, they were bright and colorful like a healthy coral reef. Over time, unfired clay dries, bleaches and cracks. It became sensitive to human touch and could break.”

Lauren Shapiro
Visual Artist

An installation of 7 life-size geometric structures coated by 15000 pounds of clay textures mimicking benthic life on coral reefs, Future Pacific came to life last year in Miami, Florida. With hands dripping muddy water, aprons and face-masks smeared with color, and pressed clay forming casts of coral skeletons, 300 participants from the local community created a piece of artwork transformed the reef ecosystem into a cross-disciplinary experience spanning the globe. “I received specimens of reef corals and other skeletons from scientists and researchers from around the world,” noted Lauren.

“I added color to this clay,” explained Lauren when asked how her art visualized the impacts of human interventions on coral reef ecosystems.“When the structures were fresh, they were bright and colorful like a healthy coral reef. Over time, unfired clay dries, bleaches and cracks. It became sensitive to human touch and could break.” 

The Filmmaker: Dr. Shireen Rahimi

While coordinating 300 volunteers to create the massive art installation during a pandemic was already an impressive task, Lauren felt there was more they could do to create more engagement and awareness. She wanted to share not only the art but also the moments behind the creation of Future Pacific. Looking for filmmakers who could help her do that, she came across the work of Dr. Shireen Rahimi with Lightpalace Productions; she’s a marine anthropologist, freediver, National Geographic Explorer, and filmmaker.

Using film and photography, Dr. Rahimi is experienced in sharing visual narratives of people’s relationships with the natural world. “If we use film to communicate science, we can drive real-life changes that impact the lives of real people that are dealing with real issues,” said Dr. Rahimi, speaking about her passion for bringing together scientific research with filmmaking. She uses her background in environmental biology to tell stories about those at the forefront of ecological perturbations, having created documentaries about algae fishermen in northern Chile, coral reefs in Cuba, and human-lionfish interactions in the Bahamas. 

Dr. Rahimi shot footage of Lauren in her studio throughout the creation of Future Pacific. She then combined these behind-the-scenes moments with supporting footage from the rest of the team to create a short film entitled ‘Future Pacific’. The film has since been selected for the 2021 Florida Environmental Film Festival, GECO Film Festival, and Wildlife Conservation Film Festival. “It is super inspiring to work with other women who care about the same things I do.”

The Future of ‘Future Pacific’

Future Pacific, it appears, was not a culmination but just the beginning of a fruitful partnership – one that scientists and artists around the world can take inspiration from. As travel restrictions have begun to be lifted, the trio has been collaborating again – this time on-site in Mo’orea. “This project feels like a dream,” writes Shireen on her Instagram, where she has been posting live updates from their time in Mo’orea.

Together, they are also exploring novel ideas and technologies to bring art to Mo’orea and the importance of ecosystems like those in Mo’orea to the rest of the world. “We are thinking of doing an activity in Mo’orea using artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Also, Shireen and I have been playing with 3D scans and photogrammetry software to take back impressions of corals in Mo’orea. I will later experiment with 3D printing these scans with clay and other materials.” said Lauren speaking about what lies ahead for their collaboration. 

Will the sole focus of Future Pacific be bringing awareness about the impacts of groundwater seepage on coral reefs in Mo’orea? “Of course, it’s about the project and reefs in Mo’orea, but it’s a much bigger picture than that” shared Dr. Silbiger, adding that they are already in the process of co-creating awareness about rocky intertidal ecosystems through another research grant. “It’s really more about bringing awareness to the environment and the science informing us about the effects of climate change on our coastal ecosystems and communities. By collaborating with artists and filmmakers we can reach broader audiences than would ever be possible from scientists alone.”

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Read more about WMJ’s art and science editorial commentary: On Art and Science