Lynette Wallworth's oceanic quest in Coral: ReKindling Venus at Royal Observatory

Installation: Coral: ReKindling Venus, Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, June 7 – July 6 2012

The recent Transit of the Sun by Venus may have given some of us a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness an astronomical marvel but the Royal Observatory’s Planetarium is offering another rare glimpse - this time of nature’s passing beauty - courtesy of Lynette Wallworth.

The Australian artist's immersive film made for astronomy settings is appearing as part of a string of simultaneous screenings across the world and brings with it a soundtrack headlined by the suitably otherworldly Antony and the Johnsons.

Reflecting her own concerns over the health of marine environments, Wallworth worked with underwater cinematographer David Hannan on an expedition around the oceans and seas of Papua New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as cinematographers, musicians and marine biologists in Indonesia and Florida.

All in all it took five years. Wallworth sees it as a call to action inspired by the Transits of Venus of the 1760s, when countries put their conflicts to one side in a spirit of international scientific co-operation which allowed experts to sail the globe in pursuit of the astronomical discoveries made possible by each Transit.

But the aesthetic manifestation of the underlying message features a “watery portal” of sea anemones, jellyfish, red star dragons, seals, kelp forests, crinoids, whale sharks and other deep sea residents.

• Screens Thursday-Sunday at 5pm (25 minutes). Tickets £6.50/£4.50 (family ticket £17.50).

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