Coral Rekindling Venus Returns to American Museum of Natural History, 1/22-24

Coral: Rekindling Venus, a video installation created by Australian artist Lynette Wallworth that immerses viewers in the stunning underwater realm of fluorescent coral reefs and exotic sea creatures, returns by popular demand to the American Museum of Natural History on January 22-24 in collaboration with the Sundance Film Festival. As part of this limited engagement, Walworth will participate in a Q&A via Skype from Park City, Utah after the evening screening on Wednesday, January 23. Coral: Rekindling Venus is a selection of the Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier program, which showcases films, media installations, multimedia performances, and panel discussions that explore the convergence of film, art, new media technology, and storytelling.

This month's special presentations offer a rare second chance to enjoy Wallworth's beautiful exploration of coral ecosystems and their struggles to handle environmental stresses including rising ocean temperatures following Coral: Rekindling Venus's sold-out dome premiere engagement at the Museum on May 31, 2012 and showings throughout June. The premiere coincided with a rare celestialoccurrence: the transit of Venus, when the planet passes between the Earth and Sun. During the transit of Venus in 1761, scientists around the world worked together to measure the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Wallworth used Venus's transit last June as a similar rallying point for globAl Cooperation around this century's pressing issue: climate change.

Coral: Rekindling Venus free-falls through an oceanic constellation of sea anemones, jellyfishes, red sea dragons, seals, lionfishes, starfishes, fluorescent corals, Christmas tree ferns, and whale sharks. Featuring the musical artists Antony and The Johnsons, Fennesz and Sakamoto, Gurrumul, Max Richter, and Tanya Tagaq-Gillis, it is the culmination of Wallworth's ongoing concern with the fragile health of the planet's marine environment. The artist worked with renowned underwater cinematographer David Hannan, who filmed in the oceans and seas around Papua New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef.

Lynette Wallworth is an Australian artist working in video installation, photography, and film. Her work has been presented internationally, including at Brighton Festival, Arnolfini, the BFI, and the Young Vic in the UK; Festival d'Aix en Provence in France; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and at the Auckland Triennial, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, and the Sydney Festival.

Coral: Rekindling Venus will be screened on the dome in the Hayden Planetarium's Space Theater on January 22-24 from 4-4:30 pm. There will be an additional screening on January 23 at 6:30 pm followed by a Q&A via Skype with Lynette Wallworth. Tickets are $15 ($13.50 Members, seniors, students). For additional information, the public can call 212-769-5100 or visit the Museum's website atamnh.org.