BENGALURU: Science Gallery Bengaluru inaugurated its IMAGINE: Coral Reef exhibition on Thursday (April 9). Developed by the Institute of Design Research Vienna, the free-for-all exhibition running from April 9 to May 4 educates about the beauty and fragility of coral ecosystems (often described as the rainforests of the sea).
Often hidden behind the beauty of corals, as aforementioned, is how susceptible and mortal they are. Coral habitats across the world are increasingly stressed by man-made climate change, so much so they are in danger of disappearing in the near future.
The exhibition takes this as a metaphor to discuss how regenerative practices in design and other forms of creation would help towards preserving and perpetuating life. Sculptures resembling coral reefs made out of white paper – often used as disposable wrapping paper in the textile industry – dot the exhibition space, lit by lights. The lit structures mimic corals, a species for whom shining brightly signals a pivotal moment: it usually marks a point where there is half a chance that they will die and get bleached, discoloured.
For Lotte Kristoferitsch, the Austria-originated curator of the travelling exhibition, corals might seem a strange choice given that Austria is a landlocked nation; however, she assures that the metaphor holds ground just as much in her country, which is just as much affected by the perils of climate change.
“The only true regenerative systems are those that exist in nature, and they work as long as human beings don't interfere. You enter this room, and the corals should resemble the planet that is in the state of dying. We see this exhibition as this moment where you can decide: you can still contribute to preserving ecosystems and to preserving our planet by taking the right decisions,” says Kristoferitsch.