The Colour of Death: White, is a collaboration between Gabrielle Leah New and Carolyn Cardinet and uses recycled plastic, sculptural costume, photography, video performance and Butoh Dance Theatre to investigate coral bleaching.

New is a performing artist who uses Butoh and Bodyweather (Japanese contemporary dance theatre) to embody the process of, mitigating factors and the human response to the tragedy of Global Warming on essential coral reefs- particularly Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Corals are unique creatures that live in a symbiotic relationship with certain algae. The beautiful and sensitive corals, the forests of the ocean, die from minor changes in water temperature. The dying process begins with the termination of the relationship with the algae which causes the corals to die and turn white – the colour of death, not only for the coral but the reefs, their inhabitants and ultimately life on earth.

Together, New and Cardinet channel their feelings of both impotence and hope through their artistic practices to creatively raise awareness of the plight of our coral reefs.

Sound by Norm Skipp
Filming by Peter Quinn

The work also includes a live element that was exhibited in the 2019 Exhibition Bleached as part of Art+Climate=Change at Alliance Francaise.