Our Ocean

RUB’AL KHALI, ABU DHABI, MIDDLE EAST, MAY 2014

The desert roses I placed around the camel bone are made of sand crystallised by the wind. A perfect and unique sculpture which would grow with time if left untouched. Because of the extreme heat and dry air the two glass bulbs of my hourglass broke apart that day. The ancient sand inside spilled unto the desert. The hourglass was empty when I photographed the TimeShrine.

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Water scarcity can refer both to a lack of availability due to a natural shortage and to the lack of access due to the inability of the institutions to guarantee a regular supply or to a lack of adequate infrastructure.

Water scarcity already affects all continents. Over the past century, water use has globally increased more than double the rate of population growth and more and more regions are reaching the limit within which water services can be provided in a sustainable way, especially in arid regions.

Scientific Research shows that 2 billion people already experience high water stress, and it is estimated that in 20 years 600 million children will be living in an area of extreme high water stress. 

20°37'27.2"N 87°03'37.0"W, MEXICO, DECEMBER 2018

Every time I encounter a shark my heart fills with admiration. You sense it before understanding it; they are sentient beings genetically evolved to perfection over the course of time. They travel back here to give birth. Every season, at the same place since time immemorial. They wait off the sandy coast until their time has come to deliver in the mangrove paradise. Their ritual has become an opportunity to experience them and they have grown accustomed to our steady presence. They could destroy me with a single nudge and yet its only their curiosity that I can feel. They already know that cohabitation is the only hope to save their species. They circle the TimeShrine and listen to my heart at a distance. I wish I could answer their question.

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Marine megafauna, the largest animals in the oceans, serve key roles in the ecosystem’s regulation. Megafauna affect ocean ecosystems by consuming large amounts of biomass, transporting nutrients within and between habitats via excretion, connecting ocean ecosystems via long-distance migration; and physically modifying habitats by way of their feeding, locomotion, and mortality. Yet, one-third of these great animals are at risk of extinction. 

As Apex predators sharks are a key species to ensure the balance of the greater ecosystem. 190 sharks are killed every minute for their fins.

LUSA, WEST PAPUA, JANUARY 2018

I spotted the feathered branch, so intricate it would make any jewel pale in comparison. The purple soft corals an invitation to rest, grassland protecting the TimeShrine whilst softly embracing your every move. An impossibly beautiful dream where you can feel everything without ever touching, where you can see what you could never imagine, where you understand that it’s only through connectivity and diversity that you can achieve true beauty and life.

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Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine life, which represents around one million species. They provide at least one billion people with food security and livelihoods; they protect the coasts from damage by mitigating the impact of waves, storms and floods. In addition, some studies have shown that being close to the ocean has a positive effect on human health and well-being, it is called the "blue gym effect".

Over the past 30 years we have lost between 25% and 50% of the world's living corals and it is predicted that by mid-century we could lose the functional ecosystems of coral reefs on most of our planet. 

RED ISLAND, MUSANDAM, ARABIAN SEA, OCTOBER 2015

The Arabian Sea is as colorfully alive as its coastline is magnificently lunar. We had been navigating for days without a human in site. The pyramid appeared at dusk. Its perfect geometrical shape luring us towards a mythical sunset of adventure and fun. We imagined an unknown archeological site, the children convinced the wind had created this oasis for the fleet of Sinbad. A treasure was certainly buried at the foot of the pinnacle. The perfect setting for an Ocean TimeShrine. From the boat I watched the children rush to the shore with their canoes. When I joined them they had already piled up their trophies. It was a mound of plastic. 

All the plastic used in this TimeShrine was found on this remote site.

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It is estimated that 5 to 12 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year, which is the equivalent of one truck per minute. In addition to the environmental disaster and damage to marine life, this entails an economic cost of approximately $ 13 billion a year, including clean-up costs and financial losses for fisheries and other sectors.

A study indicates that plastic pollution is so widespread in the environment that we all ingest five grams of plastic per week, which is the equivalent of eating a credit card per week!

About 89% of the plastic waste found on the ocean floor are single-use items, such as plastic bags.  Another example are plastic water bottles, 1 million of them are bought and used every minute all over the world. And only 9% are recycled.