Pablo Pantoja located the site with me and was my local liaison/daily ally. (Better not begin listing all the huge support of the people in Mexico, never get through!! special thanks are at the bottom:)
Wendy Thompson and Terra Nyssa did a fish survey to observe environmental impact of the project; will fish and others quickly populate the sculpture once it is in place? Lots of rain and murky waters almost prevented them from snorkeling the site, but luckily the sun and ocean gave them one bright calm day. 

Mike Gerzevitz captured some great interviews and footage of the making (as well as participated in the making). Here's a little timelapse for you:

Thomas Sarkisian helped immensely with forming the metal by hand, body and foot; and with Tom Goreau, prepared the power supply for phase 2--deploy. Will have to bring Thomas back over from Thailand to calibrate and install his BOLPS (Biorock On Land Power Supply prototype 3). Hope to return for phase 2 very soon! Hurricane season is stirring up, so we aim to process the paperwork and see what the weather holds.
 
Below is a photo tour of phase 1: making the DNA helices

at least 15 iguanas were studying the process.  

we moved to Todo Inoxidable (stainless steel factory)

a roof to protect from the erratic downpours and intense sun.

see that smooth floor?? priceless!               Mike's cutting away extra steel...

we thought we were going to install the next day, alas...

the ship is there, but we have a contract to clear.

imagine corals and fish coming to bring this to life

(photos by Mike Gerzevitz http://mikegerz.com/Home.html
and Colleen Flanigan colleenflanigan.com)

For more from Dr. Tom Goreau about Biorock® and his take on Climate Change:

http://wn.co/OneClimate_interview_with_Coral_Reef_Expert_Thomas_Goreau_at_COP15_in_Copenhagen__1

And Sylvia Earle about the Coral Reefs--Rainforests of the Sea:

http://wn.com/Rainforest_Alliance_Coral_Reefs__Rainforests_of_the_Ocean

special thanks to Marcia de La Pena and Leif, Pablo Pantoja, Fredy Ulloa de La Rosa, Joel Lopez, Jason deCaires Taylor, Roberto Diaz, Mario and Enrique Chacon, Jaime Gonzales, Alain Ibanes, Todo Inoxidable - Guillermo, Suzie, and Jose Luis, Diego Gioseffi, Jorge Luis, Fernando, Lorenzo Guerrero, Kevin Watt, Karen Salinas, Rodrigo, Salvador, the staff of Aquaworld and Marenter, and of course, MUSA!...the long list continues of people who have offered creativity, skill, friendship, strength, and resources in Mexico.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/03/30/colleen-flanigan-underwater-biorock/

The Atlantic grabbed it:

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/03/underwater-sculptures-help-save-the-worlds-oceans/73269/

Much has been happening to get ready for this project in Mexico:

Artist and MUSA curator, Jason deCaires Taylor, has located a site for the sculpture near 4 of his pieces in a highly visited snorkel zone.  Just got the green light from Club Med in Cancun for our electrical source today.   The tidal turbine is still in the works for future projects.  This small budget won't cover it this time, yet thanks to many backers, I've been getting suggestions about additional funding resources. Some of the grants are large enough that it could allow us to prototype a turbine and install another refuge.. to keep the momentum for more living sea sculptures.   

Wonderfully talented people are joining in: Mike Gerzevitz has offered to come to Mexico and document some of the project.  Margaret Andres has offered her editing skills.  Thomas Goreau, Thomas Sarkisian, Brent Hartwig, Carey Robson, have been consulting and working on energy designs to ensure most efficient and affordable methods.  I recently met with Diego Gioseffi, president of the non-profit, www.submerge.org, to discuss possible collaborations here in Portland and in Mexico this summer. They have a workshop scheduled for July 2nd-July19th in Playa del Carmen; timing may be perfect for kids in Mexico to join us in Cancun to replant coral on the sculpture, take underwater photos, and learn about reefs.

On March 25th, the Biorock simulation and Gossamer Crocheted Community Reef came down from the display at Knit Purl. It had been there since January 5th.  LOTS of people walked by, saw the art and watched pieces of the movie, "Reef Reborn."  Thanks to Clay Connally, the movie was looping for the entire 2 months and 3 weeks. Right in front of a busy intersection and bus stop, the installation was very public. Every time I was near, I saw someone peering at the screen; even overheard someone who "lives" by that window say, "It's about corals."  nice:)

Some people plan to come down to help with the coral planting.  lovely! I met Wendy Thompson at the "Wild and Scenic Film Festival" in Nevada City this Jan. when they were screening "On the Trail with Miss Snail Pail."  She immediately offered to get involved. She has worked with Sylvia Earle and facilitated coral reef research in Belize, specializing in fish and invertebrate species abundance trends and coral identification.

The small Biorock® experiment at Sea Horse Aquarium Supply, here in Portland, OR,  is beginning to accrete:

sooo, lots of good progress!  Just a few thousand $$ to go. Please contribute whatever you can.  
Any outreach you can do in these final days: post, tweet, publish, email, ask... THANK YOU!
This is my first attempt to raise so much money.  I'm on a limb and keeping the faith. For those of you not familar with kickstarter, please check out the site; it has helped so many creative projects take off and backers receive unique "rewards."

As the hourglass trickles out, please give one final shout for the coral refuge!!

Here are a few photos I took of the Gossamer Community Crocheted Reef and Biorock Simulation installation at KnitPurl.  Special thanks to Sandy Barnes, Elle Moody, and Tess Stevens for that opportunity! 

Yes, 22 is my favorite number and that is how many days left to raise the final $5,700. 

Thank you for backing and getting the word out, for sharing your knowledge and suggestions.   Some exciting news: Mike Gerzevitz has offered to come to Mexico and document some of the project.  Margaret Andres has offered her editing skills.  Thomas Goreau, Brent Hartwig, Carey Robson, and Thomas Sarkisian are working on energy designs to ensure most efficient and affordable methods.  I recently met with Diego Gioseffi, president of the non-profit, www.submerge.org, to discuss possible collaborations here in Portland and in Mexico this summer. They have a workshop scheduled for July 2nd-July19th in Playa del Carmen; timing may be perfect for kids in Mexico to join us in Cancun to replant coral on the sculpture, take underwater photos, and learn about reefs.  That would be fantastic!

Through this kickstarter, I've met Julyo Espinoza in Mexico City.  He works with coral importation into Mexico, among other biological research, and has a deep, poetic affinity for protecting and restoring their habitat:

"Some people think corals are like strange pretty rocks, some other that they are like oceanic grass where you can walk without concerns while diving, but when you watch this "rocks" moving, contracting, eating... god, it's shocking! Lonely glutton polyps or huge colonies, fighting against predators or against other colonies... I really admired them. Colonies as old as entire civilizations, as important as rainforests, but as fragile as leaves..." 

Spending time at Sea Horse Aquarium, I see the slimy strands of fighting corals, the growing polyps and their sensitive nature.  I also see how resilient they are when given the right environment that Woody and Tracie, plus the other volunteers, provide for them. 

The Biorock in tank experiment is finally accreting!! we kept shifting small variables and wondering what was the hang up? the power source and anodes needed some tweaking...now we have 2.2 volts running with 2 amps and, not sure, but possibly the luck of the Irish helped save the day;) On March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, some fine white coating and big bubbles (in photo below) appeared.  {note: It was also 2 Irish friends' birthdays and I did attend a potluck potato party...}

In all seriousness, I need to reach more backers! Please continue to support any way you can.  tell people, post to your facebooks, tweet, publish, email... 

Special opportunity: if you know of houses for sale ($50,000-$150,000) in Clark County (Vancouver, WA), please let me know.  Someone is ready to buy the "Biorocker" and contribute $5000 if he can find a suitable house in that area to buy and renovate. Finding that house to restore for human habitation could be the final pledge towards creating this new coral colony!

thank you!!!

for more about Living Sea Sculpture: contemporary art as coral refuge, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/958753974/living-sea-sculpture-contemporary-art-as-coral-ref