Welcome to our “Carte Blanche” corner, where volunteers, supporters and collaborators can say what they want about their experience with Wild Lab Projects.
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January 16, 2024
Artist Jacqueline Kärcher joined most of our kelp forest restoration events in 2023. This is her story.
Starting from Tromsø Observatorium
During a period of nearly one year, I got to join Wild Lab Projects‘ kelp restoration events at the Tromsø Observatorium (a current project led by the Tromsø-based artist Lawrence Malstaf).
Through working at the Observatorium, I could already sense the great potential of the location for a marine life-related project.
This, though, was purely judged by my personal taste of aesthetics and my background as a photographer and designer in becoming.
The Observatorium is a place where people, nature, arts and science intertwine. The more time I spent there, the stronger my fascination grew with the mysterious life beneath the water’s surface.
From Art to Public Engagement
With Wild Lab Projects, I literally dived into a completely new world of wonders. It’s great to interact with such passionate people who follow their desire to make the world a more accessible place.
And that is for me what makes Wild Lab Projects stand out from others: they include every interested person in becoming actively part of something that could make the future continue to be magical.
No extraordinary skills, no special equipment and not even any preknowledge were necessary. At the same time, I felt safe and my presence helpful.
I was part of the snorkeling team. Together, we restored kelp forests, one patch at a time. That’s when I finally got to see all the beauty underneath the water surface.
And it was just as great to witness how the other volunteers who joined shared their enthusiam and got excited to continue.
What I realized through the time I spent here is this: the fascinating parts of our planet are sometimes very close to us, and with the right people, they can be easily explored.
My experience with Wild Lab Projects was a spark, and it ignited my desire to know more about kelp forests, to care more about their fellow inhabitants, and to feel inspired to invest time and energy in sharing the Earth’s wonders.
Jacqueline Kärcher.
January 16, 2024.
