Why Put Art At The Bottom Of The Ocean? The Answer Is Surprisingly Technical

But this was about more than just bringing high culture to the deep sea. So why install art at the bottom of the ocean? And what can we learn from doing so?

What? And why?

This isn’t Mohanbabu’s first rodeo when it comes to weird art locations. “The Interactions series are unique in that they are in every kind of space,” the Afghan-Singaporean artist and architect said in a 2022 interview. 

“They have travelled in Space in Low Earth Orbit over all of the Earth, will be permanently on the Moon, are in the Metaverse as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and will be reimagined as mega sculptures in all cities,” she said at the time. “The entire design process aims to connect and find resonance with people through every medium, art, conversation, and collaboration.”

Of course, there’s not many people at the bottom of the ocean – just a few ex-astronauts and James Cameron, really – so what’s with the new gallery site? 

“Art has the unique ability to connect humanity across physical and metaphorical depths,” Mohanbabu explained in a new statement this week. “With the Deep Ocean Interactions Project, we aim to inspire meaningful change highlighting our interconnected existence by bringing people together through a shared journey and purpose.”

While the pieces themselves are now far below the surface of the water, we can at least explain to you what they looked like: the collection consists of three hollow metal cubes, side length 10 centimeters (4 inches), each with five exposed sides featuring a design in Mohanbabu’s signature Interactions style.

“The five designs for each of the five exposed sides – Nautilus, Primary, Secondary, Windmill and Dromenon – were created to resonate with communities worldwide,” the statement reports. A tribute to all those impacted by natural disasters, it notes, the pieces are designed to “[foster] a deeper, universal connection by embodying nine existential elements common to all humanity – Creation, Lifecycles, Color, Shape, Movement, Direction, Energy, Space and Time.”

But we know what you’re angrily typing in the comments right now: what is this? IFL Art?? But don’t worry – even for the most ardent art haters among you, there’s something here to whet your appetite. 

It’s not just about art

Installing a set of stainless steel cubes 7,000 meters below the sea is, to put it lightly, not easy – at least, not if you want them to last, rather than simply adding to the ever-growing problem of ocean garbage. Creating these cubes, then, required some pretty ingenious technological solutions.

“Creating a piece of art capable of withstanding the immense pressures of the deep ocean is a testament to the versatility and durability of our technology,” said Lai Changquan, Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University Singapore’s Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP). 

It’s the third time Mohanbabu has collaborated with SC3DP, having previously created a range of 3D-printed shoes with the department – the design of those was actually one of the pieces sent to the Moon in 2022. This time, though, they had a particular purpose in mind: while two of the cubes were made of special corrosion-resistant stainless steel, the third was even more cutting-edge, being crafted from 80 layers of ultra-thin stainless steel fused into a 4-millimeter-thick wall. 

Called LAPIS, short for “Laser Patterning and Incorporation of Sheets”, the technique reportedly results in structures more than 70 percent stronger than regular bulk steel – which, when you’re being sent to live under 700 atmospheres of pressure at the bottom of the ocean, is probably a plus. Assuming it proves a success, therefore, the SC3DP team plans to extend the applications of the new technique, hopefully expanding out to industries like aerospace, maritime, and energy.

Getting the cubes to their gloomy resting place was no mean feat either. It took collaboration between offshore engineering solutions company NuStar Technologies and Japan’s Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) to get the cubes installed: “Together with Lakshmi and our partners at JAMSTEC, we have demonstrated that the deep ocean can be a platform for both scientific discovery and cultural expression,” Goi Kim Kok, Managing Director of NuStar said. 

And we know what you’re thinking: why would the Japanese government be interested in this art project? Well, that’s another thing…

What art can tell us

Art, they say, is what you make of it – and in this case, what Mohanbabu made of her art was a high-tech early warning system for undersea earthquakes. 

Technically, these cubes are now part of JAMSTEC’s Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System, or LTBMS. It was originally developed to monitor seismic activity near tectonic plate boundaries – a high priority for Japan, which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire and, rather famously, quite often feels the consequences of that unfortunate location.

To protect themselves against the devastating earthquakes and tsunamis that so often batter the archipelago, the LTBMS was designed to monitor seismic activity and convey the data in real-time for researchers and national early warning systems. It’s a noble and necessary task, but nothing says you can’t be fancy while you do it – and so the frames of the equipment are now fully accessorized, with specially designed built-in cavities housing the new art pieces. And since art is meant to be enjoyed, they even set up a special ultra-deep-sea camera system to capture the cubes on film.

“This project demonstrates the potential of interdisciplinary research,” Changquan said. “To push the boundaries of what is possible.” 

For Mohanbabu, there’s an element of patriotic pride to the artwork too. “The earlier Interactions cubes that had orbited around Earth in space will also be sent to the moon as part of a permanent art installation,” she said. “With these two art installations, Singapore is the first nation to have artworks on the moon and the deep ocean.” 

“This milestone is also a testament to Singapore’s pioneering spirit and tenacity as we celebrate SG60 this year.”