Description
LOCATION: Fiji
STORY: I traveled to Fiji with only one objective – creating an image with as much vibrantly colorful soft coral and as many anthias fish as possible, in what I described in my mind as a “riot of fish”. Each dive, I’d obsessively scour the reef from afar, looking for the ultimate spot, knowing that the colors I was searching for were naturally filtered out by the water column and would only return with a pop of flash from my massive lighting system. Many ingredients were required: 1) I planned my Fiji trip for the time of year when the water is clearest. 2) Strong current was required, both because the anthias only form up when the current is bringing them plankton to eat, and because soft corals only stand erect when the current kicks (they shrink & droop when it’s calm). 3) I needed a sunny day. 4) I needed lots of time alone – anthias can be quite skittish, and dart into the safety or the coral reef en masse at the first sign of danger – namely a scuba diver exhaling bubbles. Over the years, I’ve developed a technique for controlling the swimming patterns of anthias that allows me to form them into just the right shape. It’s an art that’s 1/2 fishy pied piper psychology, and 1/2 ultra-frustrating proverbially herding cats.
For my sciency friends who love their marine biology, the fish are mostly “sea goldie” anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), with a few Bartlett’s anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum) mixed in. The yellow coral is a uncommonly-colored Dendronephytha sp. soft coral. The red corals are gorgonian sea fans. And the green coral is Tubastraea micranthus. For my non-sciency friends, just think of it as an aquarium… with no maintenance.
For similar color or feel, check out Electricity and Firewater for more interior design inspiration.
For printing, Riot coral wall art is best kept in it’s native ratio of 3:2, and is available in large art sizes up to a maximum of 120″ wide. You can purchase this luxury wall art online in our standard sizes, but if you’d like to discuss a custom crop or size, please contact one of our design consultants.