One of the longest ever photographic exhibitions of marine life will be launched this month on Dún Laoghaire's East Pier. Stretching the whole length of the pier (1.6km), the exhibition, which will be on view from Saturday the 7th July to the 3rd of August, will capture the first ever outdoor photographic exhibition of "Tara Oceans, A Worldwide Portrait of Marine Plankton" discovered during a recent expedition of a scientific team on the schooner Tara.
On Tuesday the 10th of July, Tara will arrive in Dún Laoghaire direct from her home port, Lorient, France, and will be moored on the East Pier until Friday 13th of July. Tara, a 36m long aluminium sailing boat, has been navigating around the world for the last 30 months – from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Antarctic Oceans - studying plankton in marine ecosystems and also certain coral ecosystems virtually unknown until today.
Recently scientists have discovered the great importance of plankton for our climate as it represents 80% of single-celled organisms on Earth and plays an essential role in the life of our planet. Tara Oceans Expedition is the very first attempt to make a global study of marine plankton.
"Studying plankton is like taking the pulse of the planet" says Dr Emmanuel Reynaud, a marine biologist from UCD, who points out that scientists are hoping "to better understand the functioning and diversity of marine life and its response to climate change".
The public are invited to visit the schooner Tara on the 11th and 12th of July at berth number 1 on the East Pier, Dún Laoghaire each afternoon from 1pm to 7pm. Also on view in the East Pier Lighthouse from the 10th to 16th July will be an exhibition of creative drawings and sculptures by pupils from Newpark Comprehensive School '20,000 leagues under the sea, a school project'. In addition to these exhibitions – the newly refurbished National Maritime Museum in Dún Laoghaire is also hosting a photographic exhibition of corals and coral reefs species that were photographed in remote coral reefs during the Tara Oceans Expedition in collaboration with Kahikai (means "one ocean") . The exhibition will run from the 7th of July to the end of August. Entrance to the Museum is €5;family, €10 and unwaged, €3. The Maritime Museum is also hosting a free public lecture by Dr. Emmanuel Reynaud on the 13th of July at 7pm.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, together with UCD Science Dept, the French Embassy, Dún Laoghaire BRAND project, Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Comhairle Na N'Óg are also delighted to announce that as part of the celebrations, they have collaborated to host the Irish Premiére of Planet Ocean, directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot in partnership with OMEGA. The screening will take place on 12 July to an invited audience in County Hall, Dún Laoghaire but the film will also be open to the public on Saturday 14th July in the Lighthouse Cinema Dublin as part of UCD's science week. For information about tickets please visit www.ucdimaginescience.ie
