THE REEFLINE BRINGS AWARENESS TO RISING SEA LEVELS AND FRAGILE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS IN MIAMI WITH FIRST ANNUAL BUOY PARADE DURING MIAMI ART WEEK 2021
Presenting Large-Scale Inflatable Sculptures Traffic Light by Leandro Erlich and What Lies Beneath: Tipping Point by Carlos Betancourt
Leandro Erlich, Traffic Light, 2021 & Carlos Betancourt, What Lies Beneath: Tipping Point, 2021 Image courtesy of Cycy Sanders and The ReefLine
WHAT
The ReefLine celebrates the first annual The ReefLine Buoy Parade, an event aiming to inspire innovative solutions for Miami’s future, among those, the construction of The ReefLine, an initiative of BlueLab Preservation Society conceived by Ximena Caminos in collaboration with Coral Morphologic. The Buoy Parade is sponsored by Algorand and ClimateTrade, who has donated credits to offset the emissions created through the creation of the buoys.
The ReefLine Buoy Parade aims to bring awareness to rising sea levels and fragile marine ecosystems in the hopes of inspiring a more resilient future for Miami. The ReefLine Buoy Parade includes inflatable sculptures from artists Leandro Erlich and Carlos Betancourt. The inflatable sculptures were towed by local kayakers from The South Florida Paddlers and The Castaways Against Cancer, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that paddles from Miami to Key West annually to raise money for cancer research and honor those who have battled with cancer.
A two day event, The Buoy Parade premiered with Leandro Erlich’s 16ft tall inflatable structure titled Traffic Light, created in homage to the forthcoming Concrete Coral, the permanent underwater incarnation of Order of Importance, which will be the ReefLine’s first deployment scheduled for June 2022. Following is What Lies Beneath: Tipping Point by Carlos Betancort, two buoyant iceberg sculptures, replicas of images of actual icebergs created using photographs taken by explorer Sven Lidblad, founder of National Geographic Lindblad
Expeditions, polar explorer, and marine conservationist. The icebergs, measuring 30ft and 4ft tall, have been created as an invitation for viewers to reflect on the climate crisis, the longevity of icebergs and rising seas, highlighting the fragility of life on our planet
The ReefLine and The Buoy Parade are harnessing the power of arts engagement to inspire change where climate action and creativity meet. Miami Beach stands at the global forefront of arts and culture. It is also one of the world’s most climate vulnerable cities.
The ReefLine is an underwater public sculpture park, snorkel trail and artificial reef which will provide a critical habitat for endangered reef organisms, promoting biodiversity, and enhancing coastal resilience. The female-founded, scientific-led project has been developed in close collaboration with a team of of marine biologists, researchers, architects, and coastal engineers in direct response to an immediate need to address climate change.
The project is supported by private and government partners including the City of Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County,
Cummins Cederberg Marine Engineers, and the University of Miami. Phase 1 of The ReefLine will open in June 2022.
WHEN
Day 1 of the Parade took place today, Wednesday, December 1:00PM – 3:00PM EST. The second and final day of the parade is Saturday, December 4, 2021 from 1:00PM – 3:00PM EST.
WHERE
Today, the Buoy Parade premiered at the Sunset Harbor Marina, Miami. Depending on weather conditions and to ensure the safety of those participating on Saturday December 4 the buoys will either deploy at Miami Beach from 20th street to 40th street or inside the bay between PAMM and the Julia Tuttle Causeway.
SPONSORED BY
Algorand and Climate Trade
ABOUT THE REEFLINE
Developed by BlueLab Preservation Society in partnership with the City of Miami Beach, The ReefLine will feature environmentally functioning artworks by major international artists and designers, to be completed in several phases, with the first phase slated to open Summer 2022.
The 7-mile underwater public sculpture park, snorkel trail, and artificial reef will be located off Miami Beach’s shoreline.
Conceived by BlueLab’s Chair Ximena Caminos, in close consultation with a team of expert marine biologists, researchers, architects, and coastal engineers, ReefLine will begin in South Beach and run north, providing a critical habitat for endangered reef organisms, promoting biodiversity, and enhancing coastal resiliency.
Join the conversation on social media by mentioning The ReefLine and using the hashtags #TheReefLine when posting.
https://www.thereefline.org/
Facebook: TheReefLine | Instagram: @thereefline |
MEDIA CONTACTS
Elizabeth McNamara / FITZ & CO / emcnamara@fitzandco.art / +1 646 589 0926
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