Tonight at the Backer-Rose Cafe Professor Drew Harvell came to speak to us about the creatures of the ocean and to screen the short film “Fragile Legacy.” This documentary, which Professor Harvell is a part of, is quite eye-opening in terms of the variety and beauty of creatures that call the corals of the oceans and seas their homes. The idea to create this movie actuated stemmed from glass models of sea creatures. In the 1800s the glassmaker Leopold Blaschka took a trans-Atlantic voyage. During this trip he encountered an astounding variety of sea life that he later on modeled in glass – incorporating even the most minute details into his sculptures. This beautiful project – which demonstrates the power, beauty, and potential of the fusion of art and science – was used as a teaching tool here at Cornell University during the school’s early years.

In the present day, Professor Harvell’s (and others’ ) undertaking of the project to restore the glass models gave rise to adventures around the world and dives in places such as Indonesia and Hawaii. The purpose of these trips was to try to see if the species that were alive in the 1800s are still thriving today. “Fragile Legacy” shows footage of various types of octopuses, sea stars, jellyfish, sea anemone, cuttlefish, and more – creatures of every possible shape, color and appearance. However, there used to be an even greater variety – as indicated by the fact that biologists such as Harvell cannot find real life matches to some of the Blaschka models. Thus, her work and this film carry an important message: marine life is beautiful, but once it is endangered there is little we can do to help. We must act to preserve and protect the Earth and its gamut of creatures. If we don’t, we will loose something that is not only beautiful but also crucial to the health of our oceans.