Anohni Hegarty is set to visit the Great Barrier Reef for the first time, expressing a mix of excitement and anxiety about witnessing its beauty amid its environmental challenges. Traveling to Lizard Island, she contrasts the idyllic scenery with the reef’s distress, which has suffered significant coral bleaching due to ocean heat waves. Anohni questions how society can commemorate the loss of such ecosystems, likening the reef’s decline to a collective grief, stating, “To see the Great Barrier Reef fall, it’s 10,000 9/11s.”
At the Veeve Festival, she will perform “Ming Great Barrier Reef” at the Sydney Opera House, blending music and visuals captured at Lizard Island. Collaborating with conservation filmmakers, she aims to bring attention to the coral’s plight and the urgency of climate action. Through her art, she addresses themes of environmental degradation and societal structures that contribute to the crisis.
Anohni reflects deeply on her experiences in Australia, particularly a meeting with the Martu people, which reshaped her understanding of existence and connection to the land. Despite grappling with her environmental impact from travel, she emphasizes the importance of conservation efforts and intends for her performances to evoke both beauty and grief.
She notes the challenges faced by the scientific community regarding climate change and coral health, aiming to inspire audiences to acknowledge and engage with the realities of our ecological crisis.
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