Α new commission for the exhibition, David Brooks’s work takes inspiration from the unique and uncanny ways corals develop and thrive, challenging a human-centred view of individuality and what defines an animal. Following a residency at Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, an accomplished Greek NGO in the Eastern Aegean, the work draws from the Institute’s recent discovery of previously unknown coral formations in the Aegean Sea, believed to be the largest coral habitats in the Mediterranean. These habitats, located at depths beyond 80 meters, serve as key reproductive ecosystems and are home to an estimated 1,700 marine species. Additionally, these coralligenous outcrops are approximately 7,500 years old, making them some of the oldest living organisms on Earth and reshaping how we think about lifespan and ancientness. 

From his research, Brooks has created a sculpture, consisting of three coral formations, each segmented into eight pieces, made by resin printing. The sculptural elements are based on photogrammetry models generated from Archipelagos’s ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) footage of corals at depths of 80+ meters in the Aegean. Thousands of still frames from the videos are used to create accurate 3D models, which is then physically printed. Each of the three coral formations are sliced into eight segments, representing the individual polyps that make up the larger coral colony. These sculptures bring to life corals that no human has ever seen in person, making them tangible and present.

The project also includes an artist’s book featuring texts appropriated from ancient Greek poets Sappho, Parmenides, and Empedocles. Brooks’s rewritten texts give voice to the corals, personifying their life cycles and exploring their biology and states of being from the corals’ perspective. In addition, the book serves as a poignant context in which to describe the conservation work that Archipelagos is doing in the Aegean Sea, thus putting a human face to such large-scale issues. 

The work is part of the Residency Program of the Project SUB 6.4 “Actions to promote Greek cultural exports and strengthen the Greek cultural name by the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens”, implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, and funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.