N.S. artist grows kelp in homemade clay pots for underwater art installation.

A Dalhousie student made textured clay pots from locally foraged clay, seeded them with kelp spores in a lab, and placed the pots at Cranberry Cove as an underwater art installation; Nova Scotia kelp populations have declined amid warmer ocean temperatures.

A Dalhousie University oceanography master's student has combined conservation work with pottery to support native kelp. Kelp provides food and shelter for many marine species, and warmer ocean temperatures have reduced kelp in Nova Scotia. The student, Kit Tymoshuk, made textured clay pots seeded with kelp spores as part of an underwater art installation. The pots were placed at Cranberry Cove after an initial period of growth in a controlled lab setting. Key details: - The project was funded by a $5,000 grant from Ocean Wise. - Wild clay was foraged from bogs in Stewiacke and Annapolis Royal; some commercial clay was mixed in after testing. - Pots were wheel-thrown with textured exteriors and straighter walls to aid kelp attachment and light access. - Kelp spores were settled onto the pots in Dalhousie’s Aquatron Laboratory; baby kelp appeared after about five weeks. - In December, the pots were transported to Cranberry Cove and placed underwater as an art installation. - Tymoshuk has not returned to check on the pots since placement; the next visit is undetermined. Summary: The project blends artistic design with ecological restoration and may provide substrate for kelp to regrow in areas affected by warming. Baby kelp had begun growing on the pots before they were placed at Cranberry Cove, and the artist has not yet inspected them since deployment. Undetermined at this time.