Communities turn to art and initiatives mourning the devastating affects of the South Australia’s algal bloom

ABC NEWS (Australia)

South Australia’s algal bloom has devastated the coast, with dead sea life serving as a daily reminder of the disaster. But despite the toll on local communities, people are coming together to raise funds and offer connection and hope.

Transcript

00:01At Goodbank Gallery on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula,

00:05community members are creating art.

00:08Most people here have been affected by the toxic algal bloom

00:12that's been lingering along the local coastline for more than six months.

00:16It's something so connected and intertwined in our lives

00:20and it's like we've lost someone.

00:23We've had a death in our community in a sense.

00:26It hurts too much to go down there

00:28and I think that's what ecological grief really is.

00:32It's so delicate, the paper, isn't it?

00:35Gallery co-director Zoe Brooks is a surfer

00:38but it's been months since she's been to the beach.

00:41Instead, she's working on a project called Toxic Surf,

00:44designed to share stories and the science behind the algal bloom through art.

00:49I think I've been trying to keep myself busy working on projects

00:53and throwing myself into art projects and into my creative practice

00:57as a way to kind of deal with what's going on.

01:00Ben Hewitt is another surfer grappling with the bloom.

01:03He hasn't given up surfing

01:05but he's worried his Port Elliot business might take another hit

01:09if the bloom continues through summer.

01:11Make hay while the sun shines is a good expression for down here

01:14and that is a little concern that we're trying to pre-empt and pre-plant

01:23leading into summer that we can actually get through.

01:26Yeah, that's a classic getting old phrase, isn't it?

01:29What's that?

01:30I think it used to be better back in the day.

01:32Like the artists at Goodbank Gallery,

01:34Ben has been looking for things to do

01:36in what at times feels like a helpless situation.

01:39Along with designer Tristan Kerr,

01:42they're hosting a screening of films Tristan shot 20 years ago,

01:45capturing SA's underground bodyboard movement.

01:48It's a fundraiser for a charity to protect southern ocean reefs.

01:53The goal of the event is to bring community together

01:56and create a sort of a safe space for everyone to talk about

01:59what's been going on.

02:01Communities are coming together along South Australia's coast.

02:06In McLaren Vale, the Toxic Surf exhibition will begin as a roving arts event

02:11with lanterns in the shapes of creatures that have been killed by the bloom.

02:15So my role, I feel like, as a member of our community

02:19is just to create a space of hope through Toxic Surf,

02:22through the gallery being a conduit for people to come

02:26and experience something and feel hopeful.

02:29A ray of light in murky waters.

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