Shrink & Grow

Shrink to reef scale and restore the coral reef ecosystem.

AboutAbout

What if you could explore a coral reef from the inside?

Shrink to the scale of reef life and enter a world where coral becomes landscape. Built from photogrammetry of a real reef, Shrink & Grow brings patterns, textures and relationships normally hidden from view into startling detail.

Explore this living world together. Then an anchor strikes, and everything changes. The reef is left damaged and vulnerable, its color and life fading around you.

Working together, begin the process of restoration. Watch coral grow across passing cycles of day and night as the reef gradually comes back to life. The experience draws inspiration from the work of Titouan Bernicot, founder of Coral Gardeners, and the growing movement to help damaged reefs recover.

Shrink & Grow shifts your perspective twice. First, it brings you close enough to experience the extraordinary complexity of a reef. Then, it reveals how quickly human actions can disrupt that world and the time and care involved in helping it recover.

The concept began during a hackathon aboard R/V OceanXplorer and was developed through the OceanX Changemakers Community. Creative technologist Barry Dineen and creative director Niki Smit worked with marine biologist Professor David M. Baker, OceanX scientists and educators, and collaborators across marine biology and immersive technology.

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DEVELOPED BY

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong

ContributorsContributors

Barry Dineen
Data visualisation specialist and community builder with expertise in cloud technologies, analytics, and inclusive tech ecosystems.
Prof. Dave Baker
His research aims to understand the role of nutrients and nutrition on symbioses in nature, focusing on coral reef species and publishing on corals, gorgonians, sponges and jellyfish. His expertise is in stable isotope biogeochemistry, a technique that counts atoms of the elements of life and reveals their origins and transformations, with the ultimate goal of revealing the importance of nutrients on the evolution and extinction of symbiosis. In 2020 he co-founded Archireef, Ltd. with Vriko Yu and Deniz Tekerek, building dynamic marine ecosystems through ecological restoration; its flagship reef tile was developed at HKU and is 3D-designed and printed in terracotta and biocompatible concrete to restore complexity and biodiversity to the oceans. A lifelong student and practitioner of science communication, he teaches a graduate course on the topic and is a frequent participant in public outreach.
Maxine Cutracci
Marine biologist and PhD candidate at The University of Hong Kong studying how fish respond to pollution through environmental DNA (eDNA). Her work combines science and education to make ocean research accessible to all. She has taught marine science for over seven years in Hong Kong and the Maldives, inspiring young people to care for the sea. As a member of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication and a board member of the Asia Marine Educators Association, she promotes ocean literacy across the region. Her mission is to bridge the gap between science and society, amplifying the ocean's voice and empowering communities to protect marine ecosystems.

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We collaborate with institutions, museums and educators to bring immersive ocean experiences to new audiences.

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