Join us for an evening of poetry, music and marine science exploring coral reefs, their extraordinary biodiversity, and the threats they face.

Coral reefs are some of the most complex ecosystems in the world. They cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but contain over 25% of all marine biodiversity and are a vital indicator of planetary health.

Inspired by our ‘Virtual Worlds: Corals at the Grant Museum’ installation, the event brings together scientific and creative responses from a diverse panel of contributors, all linked to the VR experience.

Grant Museum curatorial staff Tannis Davidson and Hannah Cornish will highlight the Museum’s unique coral collection and the stories of how these specimens arrived here.

UCL marine scientist Ben Williams has travelled the world gathering audio recordings of coral reefs, which act as strong indicators of their health. Ben will share stories of this work, and how it has fed into major coral reef restoration projects.

Ben’s extensive sound bank of healthy, degraded and regenerated coral reefs sits at the heart of a brand new music commission by Alice Boyd, performed this evening. A musician, sound artist and audio producer, Alice’s work blends voice, ambient electronic textures, and novel field recording techniques to explore our interconnectedness with the natural world.

Poet Francesca Beard has responded to the Museum collection and the sounds and science of corals through poetry. She will perform her new piece ‘A Reef called Hope’.

You will also hear from John Zhang, an architect and researcher interested in visualising climate data through VR, and who with his team at Datascape Realities created the ‘Virtual Worlds’ VR experience currently in the Museum.

This will be an evening of exploration and discovery. Expect to be transported to an underwater world that you may have never considered before.