Deep-Sea Coral III

A view into the porthole of deep-sea archives from submersible footage provided by the Hawaiʻi Undersea Research Lab (HURL) is recreated from a submersible dive. Visual media of samples from corals and denizens from the sea are studied by oceanographers as multi-millennial timescales and serve as paleo-recorders of biogeochemical information. In the virtual adaption of the submersible dives, the immersible scene is designed to host a library of digitized objects containing these paleo recorders to extract, visualize, and make visible the pathways of archaic knowledge that hold vital information about our environment. Using a speculative design approach. A third adaption to the project ‘Deep-Sea Coral’ expands to an immersible experience through collaboration with oceanographer, Thomas Guilderson.

With his guidance and dissemination of research materials and desire to adapt an Art & Science iteration of the gathering of these paleo-recorders–these immersive experiences bring awareness to ideas in science that seek to find answers in a vast and unseen environment. Digitally mapping these experiences and creating a space of exploration could help reimagine how we encounter archaeological information. By becoming aware of these deep-sea corals, users can explore the research conducted to extract vital information not easily accessible to the public, leading to more engagement with a broader audience. Designing the virtual world creates a hypothetical scenario in which the participant becomes the researcher by generating interest and curiosity about charts and data that might otherwise be too complex for the non-scientist individual. Creating a space for the public to view anywhere around the world makes it easier for researchers, scholars, and the public to come in contact with these materials by allowing the archives to become searchable and increasing funding and support for academic institutions and research programs.