Two University researchers are using art as an outlet to excite the public about biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Crude Life,” a citizen art and science investigation of the Gulf of Mexico post-Deepwater Horizon, is challenging citizens to explore one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. The project developed after a chance meeting between artist Brandon Ballengée, a post-doctoral researcher, and Museum of Natural Science curator of fishes Prosanta Chakrabarty.
A recent New York transplant, Ballengée was seeking research opportunities in the area when a friend introduced him to Chakrabarty. Ballengée had volunteered on the coast a number of times following the Deepwater Horizon spill and was interested in exploring the spill’s effect on the ecosystem’s endemic species, Chakrabarty said.
Chakrabarty recognized an opportunity to combine their interests and invited Ballengée to join his lab. Together, they are combining their artistic and research backgrounds to investigate the Gulf’s complex ecosystem.
Ballengée said while science and art may seem like disconnected disciplines, both are creative endeavors that allow people to see a fuller picture of nature. For him, the two coexist beautifully.
“It’s natural,” Ballengée said. “As humans we’re both artists and scientists every day of our lives. It’s two ways of understanding the world around us and within us.”
To bring the Gulf to life, Ballengée chemically clears and stains samples of Gulf species for display in custom light boxes and gas jars. The complex acid wash and dying processes reveal aspects of the fish’s anatomy undetectable through traditional imaging, producing a final specimen that is both scientifically valuable and beautiful, Ballengée said.
The images reveal connections among various tissues and bone, allowing the scientists to analyze skeletal abnormalities. Presenting the findings as art often helps people see beyond the scientific jargon to absorb the concepts, Ballengée said.
The cleared and stained specimens will be featured alongside works from a variety of artists. Ballengée has partnered with artists from Florida, California and the United Kingdom to present the public with a range of diverse perspectives on the Gulf.
Ballengée said he hopes the art will act as a springboard for citizens to explore their own interpretations of the Gulf and its creatures. Art supplies, including sketch pads and canvases, will be featured at 60 community surveying events that Ballengée and Chakrabarty are hosting through fall 2017.
The sampling events provide an opportunity for school groups, civic organizations and community members to deepen their appreciation for the coastal environment. It’s easy not to care when you don’t understand what creatures inhabit the Gulf, and having citizens get involved is the best way to change attitudes, Chakrabarty said.
Citizens will assist the scientists in recording fish populations, casting nets to collect samples and surveying juvenile fish species near the shore. Fish larvae and eggs, which are generally found in plankton near the ocean’s surface, are located in areas heavily inundated by the oil spill, and their development senses have been largely understudied, Chakrabarty said.
Once complete, the data, art and specimens will be housed in a series of portable museums that will travel across the state and potentially the Gulf coast. Ballengée and Chakrabarty are retrofitting roughly a dozen 19th century sea chests. Each chest will highlight a different topic, from algae to Louisiana’s coastal ecosystems, Ballengée said.
The portable museums will travel to schools, civic centers and community events to extend the project’s outreach. For Ballengée, raising awareness about Gulf biodiversity is the most important aspect of the project.
The Earth is in the midst of a sixth grade extinction event and biodiversity is decreasing rapidly, he said. Scientists are working frantically to delay species extinction and preserve ecosystems.
“Figuring out what’s going on in ecosystems is really important for saving biodiversity, but also inevitably saving ourselves,” Ballengée said. “We’re reliant on these ecosystems, whether we realize it or not.”
Scientists estimate 30,000 species inhabit the Gulf of Mexico, including 600 to 1,000 species of fish, 77 of which are endemic to the area, Ballengée said. Much of it is undiscovered or understudied.
More is known about space than the deep sea, and more men have walked on the moon than visited the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, Chakrabarty said. The Deepwater Horizon spill was an important catalyst that revealed how little is known about the Gulf and highlighted why increased research is important, he said.
Through this project, the Museum of Natural Science can better understand the current state of the Gulf ecosystem to safeguard biodiversity and prepare for the future, he said.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Courtesy of Brandon Ballengée

Bluntnose Stingray. 2014. Giclée print on handmade Japanese rice paper in an edition of 13. 18 by 24 inches each.