Aquarium of the Pacific - Event #2

Last weekend, I spent hours floating between different exhibits at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.  The last time I had attended an aquarium was as a child, transfixed by the cute penguins and darting schools of colorful fish. Now, years later, I watch the jellyfish and penguins with an increased understanding of habitat loss and ocean pollution.  

For this event blog, I wanted to contextualize my visit to the aquarium with my past experiences with “This Mortal Plastik” and my own understanding of the Pacific Ocean through a past Geography class on the Tropics.  While “This Mortal Plastik” featured facts swaddled in a soothing voice, my Geography class was boisterous, facts about reef destruction and urgency mixed in with humor and candor.  The artwork at the Aquarium was somewhat in between these two experiences.  The aquarium was an interesting mix of scrambling children and the serenity of the fish and sea life.  One of my favorite wall inscriptions at the aquarium featured an excerpt from the book A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi.  Even just the first line, “I feel the surface of the ocean endlessly captivating, abstract and mathematical, but wild and sensuous” was beautiful.  In a way, it almost described my feelings toward plastic - how dangerous but also essential to life it was.  The Aquarium was filled with art that drew the viewer to the deep beauty and mystery of the ocean.  Another exhibit was a short film on ocean plastics but different from “This Mortal Plastik”.  There were large video graphics to help viewers understand dangers to the ocean and the scale of the ocean.  I took the image below; it is an interactive video from the aquarium. The photo below is a photo I took of the inscription by Tahereh Mafi. 

I especially liked the juxtaposition between micro and macro in the ocean.  On one hand, it is almost impossible to visualize just how deep, just how massive the ocean truly is.  It stretches for miles and miles, still protecting many details of life not known to mankind.  On the other hand, there were such intricate ecosystems on a microscopic level, plankton.  

I also especially liked the pieces of history that the aquarium integrated into their building.  One artist created a Moai sculpture, a gift from the Rapa Nai people to the aquarium.  These sculptures are famous on Easter Island, massive and mysterious.  Many researchers are still baffled by the origin of these sculptures; they can find no answer in science.  They do not know which of the Polynesian islands the people of Easter Island are descended from, or what routes they traveled.  The answer lies with the stories passed down by the people of Easter Island. These massive Moai statues were created in homage to the people of Easter Island’s past; to honor their history and where they originated from in the West.  Indeed, this sculpture is featured at the aquarium to represent the unique history that the culture of Easter Island brings to the Pacific Ocean.  The aquarium also invited members of the community to create artwork and murals by Pantonio, a street artist.  The image below is a photo of the  Moai statue that I took. 

 

This was my favorite part about the aquarium, how it was able to seamlessly blend history and science and art together.  The artwork encouraged questions that science helped answer and history contextualized.  I have a much deeper appreciation for the aquarium after attending this class. 

 

Here is a photo of my aquarium ticket.  





 

Works Cited 

 

Nesa, Kamrun. “Prejudice Complicates The Course Of Love In ‘A Very Large Expanse Of Sea.’” NPR, October 20, 2018, sec. Book Reviews. https://www.npr.org/2018/10/20/658963583/prejudice-complicates-the-course-of-love-in-a-very-large-expanse-of-sea.

Pacific, Aquarium of the. “Aquarium Decorated with Mural During POW! WOW! Long Beach in July.” Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/news/story/aquarium_to_be_decorated_with_mural_during_pow_wow_long_beach_in_july.

———. “Aquarium Earth Day Art Contest.” Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/multimedia/art-contest.

———. “Art Gallery.” Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/pacificvisions/art_gallery.

“The Secrets of Easter Island | History| Smithsonian Magazine.” Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-secrets-of-easter-island-59989046/.