Ocean Knight

In the ocean, there is a phenomenon called the Marine Biological Pump that comprises of billions of organisms who break down the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, releasing oxygen into the air

helping to combat the warming of our planet. Day in and day out, these algae, plankton and other marine creatures consume the excess carbon out of the sky and reduce the huge amount of pollution that the human race is emitting into the atmosphere. They are in fact the natural cleaners of our planet. However, the natural habitats of these organisms are gradually being eroded, as deep sea fishing is becoming more popular destroying this unique ecosystem from functioning properly. 

In this project, a monument has been erected to valorize these unsung non-human heroes of our time. It is an enlarged sculpture of a microscopic plankton – a Dinoflagellate – that resembles a knight’s helmet in form. Here, this oceanic knight is battling the polluting of our world on a daily basis, in an invisible location away from direct human vision. 

Here, his bright red color also serves as a warning: very rarely, the plankton turn bright crimson causing a ‘red tide’ in which they start to suck all the oxygen out of the water, suffocating other animals in their wake. If we are not careful with how we treat the planet and its other inhabitants, our future as a species becomes uncertain.

Commissioned by Creator Projects and Esbjerg Kommune