IMAGING OCEAN SPACE: Marine Ecology and the Visual Arts in Tidal Interchange
Jane Quon
Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania , Hobart , Australia
Abstract
The paper develops a theory of art-science collaboration in the context of marine ecology. The topic is approached via a consideration of the world ocean as space. The boundaried, meaning-infused nature of ‘place' is often contrasted with the meaningless, unboundaried nature of ‘space' to the latter's detriment, particularly in the context of effective ecopolitical strategy. Because the world's oceans seem , to the experiencing eye, to be unboundaried, it is difficult to mount a coherent ecopolitics of the oceans on the basis of phenomenologies of place. It is argued that the oceanic realm must therefore be invested with meaning as space. Metaphor drawn from the nature of ocean as space, and in particular from the media of exchange that constitute the membranes between ocean and air, ocean and land, are deployed to advance a view of art-science collaboration. The customary relegation of art to the secondary status of instrument for the conveyance of scientific ‘truth' is rejected in favour of a more ‘tidal' or dialectical relationship, one in which the unique mode of art as communication is acknowledged and the art component of the collaboration is accorded equal status. The paper concludes with some real and potential applications to art practice in the context of marine ecology collaboration.
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