Artwork Title: Tropical Coral Reef, Temae Reef, Moorea, French Polynesia

Tropical Coral Reef, Temae Reef, Moorea, French Polynesia

David Liittschwager

How much life can be found in a small piece of the world, in just one cubic foot, over the course of a normal day? Liittschwager photographed organisms in 6 locales representing earth’s vast biodiversity—including a coral reef. In French Polynesia, Liittschwager submerged his cube in Temae Reef, off Moorea. The kaleidoscopic image above is a 2-page spread featuring nearly 400 organisms, from a pearly shell-less marine snail with pinprick eyes to a translucent larval octopus so delicate it could be blown glass. His finished project, A World in One Cubic Foot, is confectionery for the eyes, each species a tasty morsel. Yet the work is incomplete, he says. In this collage, for instance, the algae on the bottom row, just about center, houses even more species within its verdant ruffles—life within life. “Every one of these places is more amazing than what I was able to show,” says Liittschwager. [http://www.audubon.org/magazine/january-february-2013/how-much-life-exists-one-cubic-foot]
Uploaded on Apr 2, 2018 by Suzan Hamer

Arthur is a
Digital Museum