BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE SEA
DIVERSITY OF LIFE IN THE DEEP-OCEAN WILDERNESS
Beyond the Edge of the Sea is a traveling Exhibition GO the Website
Beyond the Edge of the Sea is curated by Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover – a deep-sea explorer and U.S. Navy-qualified pilot of the deep-sea submersible Alvin – and expeditionary illustrator Karen Jacobsen. Jacobsen accompanied Van Dover on many expeditions and the result is Jacobsen’s sketchbooks that contain stunning watercolors of deep-sea animals and landscapes.
Karen Jacobsen’s work fills hundreds of pages in many sketchbooks. It is a body of work that until now has never been exhibited in the art world. It is work that ventures to places few of us would otherwise never see; it is the heart of the exhibition Beyond the Edge of the Sea. Further, an exhibition of Jacobsen’s work provides an opportunity to educate audiences about the science behind the discoveries and the excitement of deep-sea hot springs and other extreme environments in the ocean.
Jacobsen’s vivid images capture a level of dynamic and scientific accuracy that is reminiscent of the Audubon drawings and paintings of early 1800s. What John Audubon did to document and explore the natural wildlife in the early Americas, Karen Jacobsen is doing on the ocean floor.The ability to bring to light creatures from below the depths of normal diving is absolutely astonishing.
Artists have always sought and found inspiration in nature. Plant and animal specimens, landscapes, and seascapes all figure in the catalog of art and illustration. But paintings of deep-sea animals and environments — these are as difficult to find as the deep sea is to visit.
Research in deep-sea exploration has brought a greater understanding of how life can survive in extreme environments. These creatures thriving on alternative sources of energy have contributed greatly to NASA’s strategies for the search for past or present life elsewhere in the universe. Projects like Planet Quest have used the information produced by researchers like Dr. Cindy Van Dover to gain perspective on analyzing a planet’s potential for life. Karen Jacobson’s illustrations of these deep sea animals help us understand them as study specimens and as beautiful creatures. Her work makes us aware of our need to understand the depths of the ocean and the organisms living there.
This exhibition is a marriage of art and science that educates, stimulates, and encourages a mutual interest between disciplines. this exhibition funded by The National Science Foundation, NASA Astrobiology Institute, and the Lamberson and Board Exhibition Endowments. |
