’Projections of a Coral City’ (Full Program | )

Watch the full ’Projections of a Coral City’ program, filmed on the night of November 29th, 2022. ’Projections of a Coral City’ was presented on the exterior of the Knight Concert Hall nightly, 6PM-12AM, during Miami Art Week from Tuesday, November 29 through Saturday, December 3, 2022. The large-scale projection-mapping installation, which featured macroscopic images of corals native to Miami and from around the world, was a monumental artwork and the largest projection of corals ever presented globally. ’Projections of a Coral City’ was made possible through the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Miami is a coral city. Built with marine limestone mined from the Everglades, its concrete skyline stands like corals colonizing the fossilized reef ridge on which the city was built. Miami and its maritime environment are inextricably connected geologically, historically, culturally and economically. Engaging residents and visitors with Miami’s coral reefs and waters connects them to the literal foundation of the city and to its future. The corals featured in ’Projections of a Coral City’ were grown on flat tiles and 3D-printed scale models of the Knight Concert Hall over many years in Coral Morphologic’s Miami laboratory, and subsequently photographed and enlarged to envelop the building’s southwest side. These aquacultured corals include the colorful, native Ricordea florida corallimorph (as seen in the video’s thumbnail). Corallimorphs are an understudied group of soft corals that scientists predict will proliferate in a world where oceans are acidified and stony corals can no longer calcify into reefs. ’Projections of a Coral City’ reimagined the Knight Concert Hall’s terraced form designed by architect César Pelli as an ever-morphing coral head and, as the sea-level rise projections referenced in the project’s title portend, suggests how the City’s buildings and infrastructure might be reclaimed by coral as an artificial reef should humanity not act to prevent and mitigate sea-level rise. An ambient soundscape foreshadowing the City’s future by Coral Morphologic and Nick León played in tandem with the projections on the Arsht Center’s Thomson Plaza for the Arts on Biscayne Boulevard. Production credits: Videography, Direction, Editing, and Production by Coral Morphologic: Coral Morphologic is Colin Foord and J.D. McKay Editing and Generative Design by Mary Lindström Editing by John McSwain Original Film Score by Coral Morphologic and Nick León Musical Instrument Sponsorship by Teenage Engineering Coral Morphologic Lab and Studio Assistance by Max Ivers and Jack Kahn Boat Captain by Juan Comendeiro Graphic Design by Robert Beatty Website Design by Reuben Molinares Architectural Video Mapping Installation co-produced by Light Harvest A3 Visual: Ryan Uzilevsky - Lead Production | Sean Mason - Technical Direction James Cullen - Production Management | Oliver Davies - 3D Modeling Louis Buxin - Projections | Joaquin Martinez - Projections 3D Model Production & Printing by MADCO3D: Dan Bernard - Production | Adam Kushner - Printing | Lucas DeMeritt - Printing Venue Management by Ellen Rusconi of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Documentation by Jorge Graupera and Justin Namon Documentation Sponsorship by Kate Fleming of Bridge Initiative Lindsey Linzer of The Miami Foundation Executive Production by Adam Ganuza of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Special Thanks to Alberto Ibargüen, Victoria Rogers, and Juan Martinez Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. They invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Their goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which they believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit . Coral Morphologic is a scientific art endeavor founded by marine biologist Colin Foord and musician J.D. McKay in 2007 as a multifaceted platform for the development of symbiosis between humans and coral. With coral as their primary muse, Coral Morphologic presents these reef organisms as inspiring and archetypal life-forms via videography, multimedia and site-specific artworks.