Heart Of Okeanos

Borrowing its name from the Greek god of the oceans, Heart of Okeanos is sculpture inspired by ‘Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story’, a ground breaking exhibition at Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum.

In 2014 the body of a blue whale washed ashore in Rocky Harbour, having tragically perished after being trapped in ice. Lead by Mammalogy Technician, Jacqueline Miller the discovery  prompted a team of scientists from the museum to remove the huge mammals heart and meticulously preserve the specimen over the following 3 years.

This artefact has long been the source of inspiration for Sesti who has dreamed of one day returning the heart back to the ocean. Allowing it to once again exist below the water and reside in its natural environment, by giving life again to the oceans and writing a poetic narrative to complete the story.

In partnership with Ximena Camino and The ReefLine, the Heart of Okeanos will be brought back to life by becoming a living coral reef teeming with biodiversity. Sesti will work with The ReefLine Marine Biologist Shelby Thomas who will be seeding the sculpture with living corals as part of The ReefLine’s vision of enhancing marine habitats where a reef once existed.

Drawing inspiration from Roman Paleozoic cement and marine organisms like coral that capture carbon to create their structures. Sesti has been developing a carbon sink sculpture medium, a revolutionary material that combines eco-friendly concrete and carbon capture crystals to permanently store captured CO2 in rock form, a 1st for the art world.

The Heart Of Okeanos sculptures were inaugurated at COP27 in Egypt and Miami Art Week.