TARA OCEANS is a two-and-a-half-year expedition around the world in a sailboat named TARA, which is aluminum and specially made to break through ice, as well as sail in tropical waters. The mission of TARA OCEANS is to diagnose the health of our oceans and their relationship to climate change for future generations. The ship was once owned by Sir Peter Blake, who was killed by pirates on the ship. In fact, he was killed right where I collected plankton. But that’s jumping ahead. I should first say that last February I was lucky to be a visiting artist onboard TARA, off the coast of Chile. While onboard, I collected plankton which I was able to see while it was still alive under the ship’s microscope. The boat is currently owned by Etienne Bourgois, who is the son of Agnes B, the owner of the eponymous Agnes b clothing line. The below are photographs of TARA as well as of me collecting plankton on TARA.
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