Coral Reefs of the Future? — Alicja Wróblewska Shows What the Anthropocene is Creating

“If we do not drastically limit the production of plastic, (…) coral reefs will be permanently destroyed and replaced by synthetic creations of the Anthropocene such as these” — Alicja Wróblewska

Coral reefs are ridges of rock formed by the growth and deposit of coral in the sea. They are some of the most beautiful and delicate natural phenomena on planet Earth, but also some of the most endangered. Very sensitive to the changes in the environment, coral reefs have been negatively affected by the acidification of the oceans and the rising temperature of the water.

When rising above a certain point, the symbiotic relationship between corals and their coexisting creatures is disturbed. The bleached corals stop growing, and in case of serious damage, they decay completely. Through this process, corals have quickly become the most threatened creatures on the planet.

Over the last three decades, already half of the existing coral reefs were lost and by 2050, more than 90% of them might become extinct.

Through the series “Reef”, Alicja Wróblewska intends to show us the reefs we will have in the future if behaviours remain unchanged. The project includes photographs of objects that symbolise coral reefs made entirely of disposable plastic (bottles, mugs, straws, cosmetics, food packaging, etc.).

If we do not drastically limit the production of plastic, especially disposable packaging, coral reefs will be permanently destroyed and replaced by synthetic creations of the Anthropocene such as these. Is this what we want for us, for our planet, and for future generations?

Alicja Wróblewska

Alicja Wróblewska is a photographer and a visual artist, whose work main focus is anthropopressure, the human impact on the environment, climate change, and the extinction of ecosystems. In her art, Alicja uses colour as a main element and combines it with various media types such as photography, sculpture, and collage.

To see more of her work, visit Alicja’s Cherrydeck profile or her website, here. To see more on photography and sustainability, have a look at “We’ll Sea” by Wolf Silvery or read our reflection on Vogue’s January issue. ?

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