Making room: Sea turtle embodiment

Although people often say they “love” the idea of conservation—caring for the biodiversity of our world—we often love it in the abstract. We like the idea of species continuity—of an abundance of bees and a diversity of plants—of forests and oceans teeming with wildlife. But when it comes to actually engaging with what conservation requires—sometimes sacrifices that might impact our own life—sacrifices that might impact our national, provincial, and municipal economies—we are less interested in conservation. This exhibit looks at the physical space that two species of endangered species occupy—the leatherback sea turtle and the loggerhead sea turtle—and invites the public to practice moving amidst them—the physicality of the animals represented by scale models beautifully crafted by Nova Scotian artist Doug Morse. We hope that engaging with representations of the animals in this way will give people an opportunity to consider the actual space they occupy more deeply.