As the renowned art fair FOG FAIR opens in San Francisco, the Saint Joseph’s Arts Society celebrates its 5th anniversary by presenting 4 artists including the French visual artist Kalie Granier.
The multimedia exhibition “The Realm of underwater Forests” is an iteration of her previous work “A Sea Change, At Kelp’s Forest” and is designed specifically for this unique venue, the Saint Joseph Arts Society (an art foundation that sits in a church redecorated by the famous interior designer Ken Fulk).
The exhibit draws attention to the precariousness of Kelp (kelp) ecosystems due to climate change. The main element of the installation is the specimen of Kelp called “bull kelp” or Nereocystis luetkeana: it is a very large brown alga found in the waters of the Pacific and Antarctica, reaching up to 165 feet in length off the northwest coast of North America.
This work is a reflection on our relationship and our interdependence with this millennial species. This seaweed has been carefully harvested from the shores of Monterey County for the past three years. Each seaweed is then reinforced at its most fragile point with a ribbon of recycled wool. These ‘Mermaids’ bladders’, as they are sometimes called, are vital to the health of marine ecosystems. They provide a healthy variety of biodiversity with nutrients and habitats. These photosynthetic living things sequester carbon and release oxygen into the atmosphere, making water and air cleaner. As the ocean warms, kelp forests are declining dramatically.
This installation will be accompanied by the experimental film 2 FEET produced in collaboration with scientists from the Reefcheck Foundation. This film sits at the intersection of art, science and ecological conservation, depicting the vital power of the underwater kelp forest through the invocation of women. A poetic message to raise the collective consciousness, to center the dialogue in living environments to which humans belong by nature.
The exhibition opens on January 19 and you are graciously invited to the opening (free on registration, link below). You will have until March 31 to discover this exhibition and this unique place. This exhibition is produced with the support of the Villa Albertine San Francisco.
Dates : from Janruay 19 to March 31, 2023
Address : Saint Joseph’s Arts Society 1401 Howard Street – San Francisco
Free entrance with registration, click here
