Live-bearing Seastar Box

Miley Atkinson, Taroona High School

In collaboration with Dr Beth Strain, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, UTAS

Artist’s Statement

Through the human pressures of overfishing, sea temperature warming, and urbanisation, many of the marine ecosystems have become degraded. This is no exception for most of the work that Dr Beth Strain conducts, with our group’s focus being on the Tasmanian Flat Oyster, Giant Kelp, Seagrass, and the Live-bearing Seastars. These species are what make Tasmania’s sea country thrive and become part of Tasmanian’s big picture beauty. We also explored the relationship between the dead and the thriving and how one cannot live without the other. The effect that humans have on these defenceless species also informed our work.

This 45cm cubed box has reflective mirror panels on the inside, as well as a green slime coating the bottom and orange sea-stars stuck to the sides. This represents the habitat loss of these wonderful creatures. The slime represents the algae that forms because bacteria in our drains coats their habitat, making it an unliveable environment.