Lionfish
This project represents the culmination of my college experience, bridging together the creative and technical skills I’ve developed across many mediums with the time I’ve spent working as a commercial scuba diver during my summers. It reflects my passion for marine conservation, scuba diving, and invasive species removal while highlighting the tools I’ve learned to use at UNL, including Illustrator, XD, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Rhino, laser cutting, CNC fabrication, and structural art. With the lionfish as a focal point, I wanted to combine everything I’ve learned into one cohesive educational display with a sculptural display, a collection of videos, and a supporting webpage designed to combine all the elements together raising awareness about one of the most destructive species threatening American reefs.
I get it, a gallery about Lionfish in Nebraska is an oddity for sure. I wanted to use this opportunity to bring attention to an issue that geographically most people in this gallery probably won’t care about. Not to say they shouldn’t, but because this eco-crisis mainly impacts Atlantic communities, hundreds of miles away from where this work is being shown. Nebraska being probably one of the oddest geographic locations possible for this project. But lionfish are odd creatures, from their appearance, to their anatomy, to the economics behind them is all odd. That distance, that disconnect, is part of why I hope this project stands out. I hoped its scale and focus would pull viewers into something they’ve never had to think about. And hopefully this project sparks consideration next time they spot it on a seafood menu.
This documentary takes viewers beneath the surface to uncover how dive operators, product creators, and restaurants are teaming up to turn a marine crisis into a force for environmental good. Through in-depth interviews with Grant Gland of Cod & Capers Seafood Corporation, Matt Carroll of Kyalami Scuba Charters, and Tim Robinson of Zookeeper Lionfish Containment Unit, this film highlights how collaboration between conservation-minded businesses is making an impact. Created as part of my Graphic Design Capstone at the University of Nebraska, this project combines design, storytelling, and environmental awareness to showcase the growing movement dedicated to removing Lionfish from our reefs and bringing them to our tables. It’s a look into the real-world people behind the effort from divers, to chefs, to innovators, and advocates all working to restore balance to coral reef ecosystems.
I wanted to create a display typical to what you might see in a science museum setting that is not only interactive but is playful with education and scale in a way that incentivizes gallery guests to learn something about a topic they may be unfamiliar with. After speaking with fabrication agencies my vision for this sculptural display was estimated way outside of my price range which forced me to get creative.
This display is made with recycled foamcore board from previous capstone exhibits, layered with paper mashe and acrylic paint, I decided to 3D print the head and that ended up taking 29 separate prints on a collection of Prusa MK4 3d printers to create the hyper realistic head display I was aiming for.