The Venus Trap

Coral: Rekindling Venus will transport the viewers into a mysterious realm of fluorescent coral reefs,bioluminescent sea creatures and rare marine life. The artist reveals a complex community living in the oceans most threatened by climate change. “My intent is to leave the audience with a sense of wonder for the complexity of the coral community and a deep-felt longing to see it survive,” says Wallworth whose film will be screened in New Delhi at the Nehru Planetarium,Nehru Memorial Museum and Library,in collaboration with the Australian High Commission,from June 6 to 18. Free workshops around the theme will be held for children between 5-14 years of age.

The attention to corals during this transit of Venus has fascinated Wallworth,for corals’ reproductive survival is entirely based on the alignment of the sun,earth and moon,making the Great Barrier Reef,the only living thing visible from space,respond to the alignment of the solar system. “To see the corals at extreme close up,including seeing the climactic spawning event,in the viewing environment traditionally used for showing us our world in relation to the wider context of the solar system and beyond,seems a perfect fit to me,” says Wallworth.

About 75 percent of the footage has been shot by Emmy award-winning underwater cinematographer David Hannan. For the music,she got geoacoustic underwater sounds from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,US). UK based Max Richter’s mesmeric music provides moments of transcendence. Voices of singers Tanya,Antony and Australian aboriginal singer Gurrumul are trance-inducing. The film has been produced by FelixMedia and Forma.

The first time Wallworth experienced the mass coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef was 12 years ago. The vibrant life force they exhibited in their drive to seed new life was a revelation to Wallworth. Subsequently,when she made work on women who experienced great tragedy and built extraordinary lives,she used the metaphor “coral resilience” to describe them. “Corals are complex communities who require diversity to thrive. They need the predator as much as they need the plankton,and live in absolute crushing proximity with a raft of species,” says she.

Known for her immersive video installations that reflect the connections between people and the natural world,Wallworth uses photography,film and interactive technologies,like touch-based interfaces,to engage viewers and allow them to experience her works intuitively in her film.

Coral: Rekindling Venus will be screened at Nehru Planetarium,Nehru Memorial Museum and Library,in collaboration with the Australian High Commission,from June 6 to 18 at 11.30 am,1.30 pm and 5 pm.