This is a curatorial review of Sally de Courcy’s work in the 2024 Show. De Courcy’s work highlights the peril that our coral reefs are facing within this present age: bleaching.
Bleached (2024) reflects the devastating and careless impact of human activity on marine ecosystems. Through using the process of casting multiple times, de Courcy has transformed these remnants of coral into a minimalist arrangement of coral plates. The resulting work of these bleached dead coral is sterile and lifeless; showcasing the loss of the ecosystem and the horrors of what humans do to this world. Hence, it is a reminder of the rampant issues of coral bleaching (which you can find out more through the World Wildlife website here) and human activity (which has resulted in rising ocean temperatures which are one of many causes of the bleaching)
The sculpture can be interpreted as a call for action- to reflect on the degradation of our oceans and to encourage the viewer to take action to fight against this.
Coral Bleaching, reflecting a lost past (2024) takes the bleached coral and reimagines them when they had life and colour. The mirrors can be seen as a metaphor for the past; as when we look into them we understand that this past is something difficult to reclaim. The sculpture thus becomes a lamentation- this world’s coral reefs which were once teeming with life and color and now lifeless and still. Therefore, the installation invites the viewer to reflect on the consequences of our actions on the climate and potentially nudging the viewer into thinking that if change happens- perhaps the bleaching can change.
Our Planet (2024), just like the previous works, is a visual and conceptual statement and story on the fragility of our ecology. It has captured the beauty of a coral formation yet confronts the audience with the reality of our reefs: bleaching. Understanding the symbiosis of algae and coral- the arrangement of the plates into the reef-like structure underlines how life is connected within these ecosystems and through recreating these forms de Courcy compels the viewer to understand the value of our ecosystems to both global biodiversity and human survival.