Illuminated Sanctuaries

Environmental non-profits use visual imagery, specifically photography, to communicate and educate the public efficiently. Harnessing the informative power and global reach of social media, images attempt to show the complex ecological issues surrounding restoration and what is at stake for our oceans and marine life, which depend on coral ecologies for survival. These images provide visibility to scientific interventions, while also shaping coral restoration as a visual concept. Coral restoration images have distinct visual communication techniques depicting coral as a site in itself and as a site of human and scientific intervention. These images attempt to reconcile scientific objectivity with affective advocacy both reproducing and challenging visual dimensions of restoration. Yet, they are not visual facts, rather they have a deep history and corresponding literature demonstrating how cultural values and visual tropes actively—if not intentionally—shape the public gaze at the illuminated sanctuaries of the reefs below.