Last week, we proudly announced the finalists in the ages 11-14 category of our 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge. Today, we are excited to announce the 15-19 year-old finalists of our art contest.
Contest finalists are from China, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The theme, “Ridge to Reef” was portrayed in the students’ artwork through a variety of different actions such as planting corals, cleaning up pollution, preventing overfishing, and planting trees. We were amazed by these students’ creativity, execution of the theme, and artistic abilities.
Without further ado, please meet our 15-19 year old finalists:
"A Fragment of Hope" by Lara Orlandi, Age 16, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: 'Restoration' is crucial to a 'ridge to reef' management approach and in combatting damage done by unsustainable farming, where run-off fertilisers have caused eutrophication and sedimentation. My artwork shows restoration through coral farming. One fragment of coral is nurtured in a coral nursery like the one illustrated, then planted to encourage growth within damaged reefs. This fragment provides oxygen, reducing anoxic conditions created by eutrophication and allowing many other coral species to develop. This is represented by the flurry of coral that explodes from the fragment, varying in colour and texture. The coral will also become a habitat for diverse communities of aquatic wildlife, countering the habitat loss due to sedimentation. This is depicted by all the different aquatic species rushing around the reef. The contrast between the tiny coral fragment and the intense biodiversity reflects a message of hope for coral reef conservation: one organism can save so many.
