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Detail of Reef, Day of instillation at Low Tide (Pre-Oysters), June 2007
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New York City's First Solar Powered Oyster Reef, a living
art work growing in the intertidal zone at College Point,
MCNEIL PARK, Queens NYC:
For the past year Artist Mara G. Haseltine has immersed herself
in what she has described as “The Great New York Oyster Movement.”
This cross-disciplinary project involves marine biologists,
Environmental Scientists, Community Activists, Oyster Farmers
and Gardeners work to find the best solutions for restoring
oyster beds which have historically graced New York’s Waterways
in abundance.
"My most current projects combine minute
structures from the nano-world with environmental technology
to create a series of living sculptures employing ‘biomimicry’.
I am working in collaboration with a team of marine biologists to
create a living eco-system of functional underwater sculptures"
Why OYSTERS?
The idea is to bring back Crassotrea Virginica to New York,
which would create a natural filtration system that cleans
the waters and simultaneously brings back biodiversity that
has been missing in New York’s waters and estuaries since
the Industrial Revolution.
Oysters are the backbone of the benthic habitat and can act
as natural water Treatment plants. The average oyster filters
5-25 gallons of "nutrient" rich water per day. The restoration
of 100 square miles of reef would filter twenty seven billion
tons of wastewater that flows into New York's Waterways annually.
The reef would not only be a haven for oysters but would quickly
become a diverse habitat for aquatic life of all forms from
gastropods to Stripped Bass.
WHY ART and OYSTERS?
As an artist a Haseltine says she finds this project exciting
because the project is, “An optimistic
fusion between technology, science, art and environmental
design. We are actually devising ways to improve upon nature
and the way oyster reefs function in the wild while keeping
the rich history of where oysters originated and they functioned
in mind . In an age where the public is constantly hearing
about the devastating effects of climate degradation an art
project like this offers a beacon of hope. It is the first
sculpture I have ever made that is literally alive and is
meant to morph and grow, I can not begin to tell you how
exciting this prospect is for me” More Images
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