Message in a Bottle, is a conceptual, collaborative campaign that offers individuals who hail from a variety of disciplines the opportunity to express their concerns for Planet Ocean through creative media. This endows marine conservation with a unique united front from which distressed denizens can address the long-term welfare of the primordial soup that gave rise to all life on Earth.
The installation initially embraced kindred spirits and cherished friends personally known to creative conservationist Asher Jay, the founder of Sea Speak Sphere but has since expanded its role to integrate participation from concerned citizens worldwide through social media and its official website: seaspeaksphere.com.
Like the first 100 voices, the people who elect to get involved in this effort can be from any background or professional path so long as they own their voice and want to use it to aid marine conservation efforts. The renowned “Ocean Voices” on board currently encompass individuals with distinguished careers that span from but are not limited to: photography, science, art, music, film, diving, writing, activism, conservation, sports, exploration, journalism, news anchoring, public speaking, inventing, curating, culinary arts and fashion.
Click here to view images of the individual pieces.
“Message in a Bottle” serves as a call to action through creative communication, which is why the platform is open to external input. Communities and schools worldwide are welcome to get on board by giving rise to satellite installations that further the dialogue commenced by Asher Jay. An instructional video that reveals how one should go about up-cycling waste to create the various elements of the installation is available on demand, and can be obtained via a direct email request. Sea Speak Sphere encourages schools to Skype in for a conversation with Jay about ‘how to use art to take a stand for the oceans and the earth.’ This is intended as an inclusive exercise that will inspire children to express their thoughts on oceanic ecosystems in a fun, unbridled manner. It also gives instructors a chance to challenge budding minds to analyze and shape their individual ecological footprints at an early age. Equipping kids with objective information that empowers them to make informed choices will no doubt impact the world in the days to come. Art for Conservation is a curricular must, and Sea Speak Sphere is very eager to introduce this line of study to as many students as possible.
Asher Jay owns the copyright to her own bottles, and she will continue to illustrate and add more voices to her installation, but she strongly encourages concerned citizens worldwide to send in their own bottles, which will duly be credited to them on SeaSpeakSphere.com.
Dimensions & Requirements of the piece:
Height: 10 Feet Width: 10 Feet Length: 16 Feet (For every 100 bottles)
This installation is composed of mobile objects that can be suspended to suit alternate measurements, i.e. the individual pieces can be custom fit to the dimensions of the space provided, so long as the length and breadth of the space does not diminish the piece by resulting in the visual clutter of the objects that comprise it.
This is an indoor installation as not all the mediums and materials used to illustrate the pieces are water proof or can be subject to sun exposure. The piece needs to be illuminated with track or spot lights as it is indoors and thus needs electricity. Since the installation is composed of artisanal painted objects it cannot be left unguarded and needs a secure space for display.
Audience cannot touch the objects as that they are rendered with mixed media.
It does not require heating or cooling, i.e. no climate control is necessary.
Materials Used
PET bottles/containers, acrylic paints, sponges, gauche, permanent paint markers, Golden 200 GAC primer, sandpaper, ink markers, colored pencils, discarded office paper (from recycling bins), brown paper bags, card stock, walnut ink, gesso, spray paints, old magazines, newspapers, brushes, plastic bags, glue/pulp paste, X-Acto knives, scissors, cutting board, recycled paper, buttons, stickers, fabric scraps, found litter, construction papers, prints of research materials.
Portability
The entire installation is comprised of mobile objects that need to be strung up to the ceiling via hooks/pipes/a trellis framework, so it is both portable and scalable depending on the location and dimensions of the space it needs to be relocated to. It can be situated in other educational institutions, museums, and galleries.
Installation time
In order to install the piece, one would need to create a foundation structure such as a ceiling trellis from which each PET bottle can be affixed. An alternative to this is placing temporary 3M ceiling hooks or wall hooks from which piano/metal wires can extend to generate a less conspicuous ceiling trellis.
One would need 2-3 hours to hang up all the components of this piece. One would also require the same amount of time, i.e. a window of 2-3 hours, to take it down. It is not time consuming to set it up as the components are all lightweight, portable articles independently appended to the ceiling. (This time assessment is for every 100 bottles that needs to be suspended.)
QR Code Compendium:
This project will have an online gallery, and each individual who has contributed a quote will be cross linked via a QR Code to their specific page’s URL. The installation piece carrying their voice will bear the corresponding QR code enabling this feature in real time, so viewers can source the statement, the organization they are affiliated with and the work they do.
