Shaped by the sea
NEW HAVEN SCULPTOR DISPLAYS SEA SLUGS AT MARITIME AQUARIUM
From the porcine cave painting discovered on an Indonesian island east of Borneo — and said to be 45,500 years old — and the bronze cats of ancient Egypt, to the equine images of 17th century British artist George Stubbs and William Wegman’s Weimaraners, animals have always been key to humankind’s artistic impulse.
But nudibranchs?
Generally less than 3 inches long, these curious creatures — also known as sea slugs — are shell-less, often vividly colored marine mollusks.
New Haven-based sculptor Gar Waterman has long been interested in them and now his artful versions in onyx and marble share the stage with the real thing in “A Slug’s Life: Facing the Climate Endgame” on view at
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk through June 13.
Son of noted Emmy-winning underwater filmmaker and photographer Stan Waterman, the 65- year-old sculptor lived a year in Tahiti as a child and later spent time with his father diving with right whales in Patagonia, exploring World War WII wreckage in the Solomon Islands and riding on a monster manta ray in the Socorro Islands.
“Art inspired by personal observation is a fundamental cornerstone of creativity for many artists,” Waterman said. “You are what you eat, so to speak, and growing up my diet included a lot of time under the sea, so it is only natural that it would come out in my sculpture in some way, shape or form.”
While Waterman keeps an eye out for stone that will help him capture the coloring of his subjects (he traveled to Argentina several years ago to collect a particular green onyx), the essence of his work lies in shaping his chosen material.
“Some of the sculptures are inspired by a particular species of sea slug, and I will try to find a stone that suits, but really it is more about the challenge of creating my own interpretation of a tiny, soft, fleshy creature in a hard and unyielding material.”
As eye-catching as they are, Waterman has always envisioned these pieces as more than beautiful objects. Keenly attuned to the natural world — especially the sea — he is rightfully alarmed about the impact of acidification on marine life, and he hopes his work can help increase awareness of environmental trauma.
“Nudibranchs could provide me with any number of lifetimes of inspiration, just on a sculptural level, what with their endless and outrageous colors, textures and configurations,” he says. “But I also find the idea of championing a slug very appealing, in a Don Quixote kind of way.
“If I can help turn sea slugs into biodiversity superheroes, which they really are, and somehow improve their chances of survival, then this project will be a success.”
“Nudibranchs, like all marine animals, are being impacted by climate change, not just by the effect of warming temperatures, but of the increased CO2 depressing the pH of the ocean,”
notes the aquarium’s director of animal husbandry, Barrett Christie.
“Despite occupying less than one percent of the ocean bottom, coral reefs are estimated to harbor 25 percent of marine species. As they decline, the astonishing menagerie of life that depends on them, including nudibranchs, could be in jeopardy.
“We know that the range and
distributions of some nudibranch species are starting to shift as the oceans warm, and the critical reef habitat that they rely on could vanish within this century if global-scale action is not taken.”
“A Slug’s Life” — which includes photography, as well as live nudibranchs, conchs, abalone, giant clams and Indo-Pacific snails — is something of a departure for The Maritime Aquarium.
“When our president and CEO, Jason Patlis, joined the aquarium a little over a year ago,” says Tom Frankie, director of exhibits, “he challenged us to expand how we tell the story of Long Island Sound and the world ocean, to include how the oceans affect all aspects of our lives, in our economics and foods and recreation, but also in our music and literature and art.
“So we were excited to connect with Gar, whose largerthan-life sculptures help us to amplify the issues of climate change, ocean warming and ocean acidification.”
“I have my amazing 97-yearold father to thank for sharing with me his love of the ocean,” shares Waterman. “My dad has witnessed firsthand the trajectory of environmental degradation in the oceans, from his early days diving in the Bahamas in the 1950s to his last dive at age 90.
“My own son is 16 and he will never see the kind of abundance of marine life that I was lucky enough to witness with my father. I hope this show inspires interest in these fantastic tiny creatures which are an integral part of the larger picture of life in the sea.”
For more information, visit maritimeaquarium.org.