The reefline’s inaugural installation: Concrete Coral
This September, The ReefLine will unveil its first installation by Leandro Erlich off Miami Beach, beginning a seven-mile underwater public sculpture park, snorkel trail, and hybrid reef. Conceived with OMA and Shohei Shigematsu, the project restores a section of the Florida Reef Tract while creating a site for public engagement with art and climate resilience.
The first deployment, Concrete Coral by Leandro Erlich, features twenty-two full-scale cars submerged fifteen to twenty feet underwater at 4th Street. Cast in marine-grade concrete from 3D-printed molds, the sculptures evoke an underwater traffic jam while providing structure for coral growth. Using Coral Lok, a patented attachment system, live corals are seeded onto the cars to accelerate reef development.
The ReefLine to deploy its first installation by Leandro Erlich this September | visualization courtesy The ReefLine
leandro erlich Hybridizes infrastructure and fabrication
While Leandro Erlich’s ReefLine installation will be sculptural, it will also support biodiversity and act as a breakwater to protect Miami’s shoreline from erosion and rising seas. The Argentinian artist‘s units are fabricated by Madco3D at the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center, while 2,200 corals are being cultivated at The ReefLine’s Miami Native Coral Lab under marine biologist Colin Foord.
Concrete Coral marks the first step in a multi-phase cultural corridor. Upcoming installations include The Miami Reef Star by Carlos Betancourt and Alberto Latorre, and Heart of Okeanos by Petroc Sesti. Each work is designed as both art and reef infrastructure, advancing The ReefLine’s goal of planting one million corals over its lifespan.
The Reefline’s Miami Reef Star prototype displayed during Miami Art Week 2024 | image © designboom
project info:
name: The ReefLine | @thereefline
artist: Leandro Erlich | @leandroerlichofficial
fabricator: Madco3D | @madco3d
coral cultivation: Miami Native Coral Lab (Colin Foord)
artistic director, founder: Ximena Caminos
master planner: OMA / Shoehei Shigemastu
curatorial advisors: Brandi Reddick (Cultural Affairs Manager, City of Miami Beach), Jérôme Sanz (Independent Curator)
previous coverage: November 2020, December 2024
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