Maldives’ Coral Reservation Installation
Shanghai, China
2023, Senior, Interactive & Multimedia
Climate Hero: Miao Wang, Better Blue
Project Description: It is an installation placed near the Thilafushi island in the Maldives. Thilafushi was once a beautiful lagoon maintaining high biodiversity, but it later became a garbage island receiving overwhelming tons of residential and industrial waste from the capital of Male. To recover the coral habitat for ocean organisms and to raise water quality around that area, I designed an installation with two functions: collecting waste by using nets and membranes and purifying water by cultivating seagrasses. This design also effectively reduces the severity of ocean acidification which can have devastating impacts on reef growth and future stabilization. Visitors can observe the state of coral recovery and can learn about this project to enhance public awareness of ocean issues.
View the InstallationReflection
The Maldives has always been a place I've wanted visit since I was a child. Gorgeous coral reefs and fascinating marine creatures seen clearly underwater captured my attention and started my appreciation towards marine ecology and nature. However, I knew not all places in the Maldives are like what is shown in advertisements, so I allow myself to search beyond the surface to look for hidden, eye-opening realities. There, I found Thilafushi, an artificial garbage island that used to be like every other well-preserved island. I feel sorrowful for such a drastic change, thus, it urged me to recover the beauty of nature. Even though my project is only a concept, I hope to protect our environment, our ocean against human-made pollution and inspire other like-minded students to create more ideas as the foundation for real environmental installations or actions.