A striking new sculpture combining architecture, industrial design, science, and community storytelling will invite SWELL Sculpture Festival (September 11-20) visitors to discover an overlooked Gold Coast environmental story.
Led by a Griffith University team, drawing on researcher and creative practitioner Dr Despina Linaraki’s (Lecturer in Architecture, Design and Technology at Griffith University) research on Living Architecture and nature-based design solutions, Interspecies infrastructure> codesign futures is an interdisciplinary conservation communication project that uses the humble oyster to tell a much larger story about people, place and the future of the Gold Coast as a water city.
The sculpture incorporated clay alongside 3D-printed PETG translucent structures, and reclaimed oyster shells that reflect the intersection of traditional materials and contemporary design approaches.
If laid out, the 654 3D-printed PETG components would measure 19.42km in length. The 58.4kg of material took just under 115 days to print.
Developed with project team members Dr Natalie Haskell, Dr Kaecee Fitzgerald (both from Griffith’s School of Engineering and Built Environment – Industrial Design) and Brice Pannetier, computational designer expert (Atelier Designa and Bond University), the installation reveals the hidden history of the region’s once-extensive oyster reefs, which helped shape the coastline for thousands of years before the city existed.
“Many people don’t realise that beneath today’s waterways, marinas and canal estates lies the legacy of an extraordinary oyster reef system that once supported rich ecosystems and sustained communities for thousands of years,” Dr Linaraki said.
“The work functions as a commemoration of living with oysters rather than against them, proposing design as a shared, ethical relationship between human intention and non-human life.”
Dr Despina Linaraki
“Interspecies infrastructure> codesign futures brings together different ways of knowing and understanding the coast, helping communities connect with both the environmental significance of oyster reefs and the opportunities for restoration.”
Visitors will also experience an immersive soundscape featuring underwater whale sounds contributed by Griffith marine ecologist Dr Olaf Meynecke, creating a sensory connection between the region’s marine life and broader coastal ecosystems.
Once abundant along the Gold Coast, oyster reefs filtered billions of litres of water, provided habitat for marine species and contributed to the physical structure of the coastline.
Today, they are amongst the world’s most threatened marine habitats, with restoration efforts now underway through collaborations between researchers, conservation organisations and government agencies.
After the exhibition, the goal is to potentially submerge part of the structure in water and return it to a marine environment, where it will serve as a habitat for fish and oysters.
“In this final transformation, the work ceases to exist solely as an art object and becomes an ecological participant,” Dr Linaraki said.
“So ultimately the project resists permanence instead embracing decay, reuse, and ecological integration as core design values.
“Through art, storytelling and science, our sculpture invites festival-goers to reflect on what has been lost, what remains and what can still be restored.”
Griffith University academics will also present at SWELL event, Altered Tide, showcasing Griffith’s interdisciplinary expertise that tells different stories about oysters to different Gold Coast communities, building a richer and more compelling picture of human/oyster relations – past, present, and future.
The project was funded by Griffith’s School of Engineering and Built Design which offers degrees that develop the skills, knowledge and networks students need to plan, design and build the cities of the future and create solutions to global and local challenges.
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Despina Linaraki
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