CRITTERS SPEAK is an environmental art and education project created by Rachel Mayeri for Brandon Ballengée and his portable museum of Gulf of Mexico biodiversity, CRUDE LIFE. In June 2017, Rachel joined Brandon in South Louisiana and interviewed a broad range of people to assess environmental recovery seven years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon, the largest oil spill in US history. A shrimper, a state senator, an activist, biologists, and others share their stories. Portrayed as animated animals and other life forms, they give voice to the species of this unique habitat, the largest wetland in North America. From coral reefs to coastal marshes and inland swamps, they speak for the invisible, unheard, and overlooked critters who keep the Gulf of Mexico alive.
CRITTERS SPEAK is presented on a tablet, on a webpage, and as this documentary:
Credits
All interviewees are listed here.
Produced by Rachel Mayeri
Interviews, tablet design: Rachel Mayeri
Documentary editing: Tara Morris
Interview editing: Sallie Marx and Tara Morris
Animation: Eddie Gonzalez, Rachel Mayeri, Tara Morris, Robin Ossentjuk
Programming: Steven Bakos
Tablet and killifish photos: Ben Dubansky
Funding: National Academy of Sciences, Keck Futures Institute
Thanks to the participants, the Ballengée family, and all the fish.
