Orchid 
Hold Fast is a powerful 850 sq ft immersive art experience that explores the impacts of climate change on “hidden” giant kelp forests, which need cold water to reproduce. Hold Fast complements Birch Aquarium’s existing kelp forest habitat with a touchable, multisensory environment that shares the essence of freediving in local forests.
The project is anchored by a “forest” of 27 hanging silk giant kelp “portraits” sustainably harvested and printed using a cyanotype process by Oriana Poindexter. The space, with rock-like benches and soft seating, creates a dynamic environment for both play and meditation, enhanced by a quiet ambient soundtrack. A gyotaku mural, composed of digitized prints by Dwight Hwang, surrounds the “forest” of silk kelp, featuring animals like Giant Sea Bass, Pacific Spiny Lobsters, and Leopard Sharks. A baby kelp nursery, simulated by Scripps Oceanography researcher Mohammad Sedarat, showcases laboratory experiments testing kelp resiliency with actual baby kelp in a refrigerated incubator. A panel displays water temperature data from Scripps Pier, highlighting the increasing frequency of warm water since the 1980s. Other contributions include a lamp made entirely of giant kelp by Ensenada-based artist Itamar Lilienthal, and kaleidoscopic wallpaper by Scripps artist/scientist Adi Khen. The project used tight sustainability measures, including non-PVC wallpaper, reusable walls, and hand-painted wall lettering.
Through the lens of artists and scientists, Hold Fast conveys a message of “rational hope”: Warming waters and giant kelp don’t mix, but people can help.
This is such a beautiful and unique exhibit! I was already a fan and collector of Oriana Poindexter’s work, but her art presented in this format really embodies what it feels like to be in a kelp forest. The other artists and research elements beautifully compliment her work. I hope this exhibit inspires people to explore and protect the beautiful kelp forests here in San Diego! It certainly inspired me.
Great concept and amazing execution.
Went with the whole family, what a great experience! We felt like swimming through the kelp but also got to enjoy this beautiful piece of art! We are so lucky to have this in San Diego.
I loved this exhibit. Very tactile and helps you imagine what it’s like to be in a kelp forest and appreciate our local coastline.
The Hold Fast exhibit was absolutely beautiful, and so interesting!
“Hold Fast” re-invents the kelp forest in a genuine and creative way that is as magical as the forest itself.
Such an important and powerful presentation that has left a mark on my awareness of that which sustains all of the underwater worlds that we dive in, play in, and give thanks to for the beauty and magnificence of life.
A powerful way to simulate the experience of underwater sea life, helping people appreciate the size and the beauty of the giant kelp forest habitat and the creatures it contains. I enjoyed weaving in and out of the silk panels, admiring the artful renderings of sea life and peeking at baby kelp being nurtured in the incubator. Inspiring and fun, a terrific exhibit!
This is a most amazing presentation of art and science!! The forest of silk kelp was stunning! Great hands-on experience!!!
Beautiful educational exhibit for every age! We are birch members and have been to see this several times – my six year old loves the swirly cyanotype banners and how they sway gently in the breeze.
This exhibition is absolutely the next closest experience to actually being underwater in a kelp forest. Immersive, enchanting, and educational! Oriana is an incredible artist with such nuance. I’m excited to see what she does next!
This exhibit was captivating, inspiring, and taught me things! The storytelling through art, science, visuals, and the silks themselves helped immerse me into the reality of what’s happening in Southern California’s oceans. I left feeling more informed and reverent. I particularly enjoyed seeing the way Oriana Poindexter makes her cyanotype art out of the silks in video storytelling form on the walls, because it helped me connect with kelp on the beaches that I’d otherwise toss aside and helps me use these everyday moments as reminders of what’s happening in the ocean ecosystem on a macro scale.
This is one of my favorite spaces in the aquarium, hands down. It’s like moving into a whole other world with the immersive design elements, the music, the lighting, all of it.
This is such an amazing exhibit. You immediately feel calm once you enter the space. The detail on the walls is incredible. It brings up a very serious issue in an artistic manner.
I absolutely love seaweed and kelp and being underwater in a kelp forest is a mesmerizing experience that is reflected in this unique exhibit. I was so happy and excited to see kelp brought to the spotlight in this exhibit and as a self-proclaimed “seaweed nerd” I am particularly excited about Hold Fast’s connection to science and the ways that scientists are trying to protect and build back our crucial kelp forests
I love this exhibit. When I took it in I found a feeling of peace as I immersed myself in Poindexter’s silk kelp banners and Hwang’s surrounding and incredible gyotaku prints.
Combined with the science of Sedarat’s kelp nursery and the graphics presenting the changing local ocean environment I was energized. This exhibit certainly deserves great accolades and appreciation
Hold Fast saved my marriage! Thanks Birch Aquarium!!!
Loved it! Amazing. Didn’t realize the wall art were shadings of the actual fish after watching the video! Amazing!
The beauty of this exhibit is that through art it can convey messages of hope, resiliency, and playfulness. The blend of artistic practices and scientific research in a public aquarium is inspiring for all ages. I’ve taken many family members here and each one has enjoyed this beautiful exhibit.