Artists' works coming to Miami Beach shoreline, including 20-car pile-up, to provide artificial reef
MIAMI BEACH - The beauty of the beach is truly a masterpiece created by the hands of Mother Nature, but soon, there will be more to see below the ocean's surface.
"This is the most important and interesting work I have ever done," said Ximena Caminos.
Caminos is the mastermind behind The Reefline, a seven-mile underwater public sculpture park and artificial reef that will be located on the Miami Beach shoreline, starting in South Beach.
"It starts north of Fourth (Street) and these are basically modules which are sculptures. Each one of them is designed by an amazing artist," said Caminos.
This intricate project combines art and biology.
The sculptures are made of environmentally friendly material to create an artificial reef in an effort to restore natural reefs that have eroded over time.
"So, giving fish public housing and protecting our fragile marine ecosystems," said Caminos.
Artists involved in the project have created different modules for the reef, including a 20-car pile-up, the size of real cars, that locals and tourists can swim through, a massive whale heart and a slew of starfish.
"So, the idea is to 'star stud' The Reefline. And what we want to do, kind of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, where people put their hands and their names in the stars, we want to use these stars to create, you know, pattern edge for the ocean, so you can actually sponsor a star, which is something beautiful," said Caminos.
Caminos has dedicated her life to the arts, but she says The Reefline holds a place near and dear to her heart.
She wanted to create something beautiful - while preserving and saving the beauty created by Mother Nature.
"I think we will lead by example by showing how we can all come together and be collaborative creative and we can think of out-of-the-box solutions to solve some of the world's biggest problems," said Caminos.
This project was made possible in collaboration with the City Of Miami Beach, and the leaders behind The Reefline are still working to raise money to complete the project as soon as they can. If you're interested in donating towards The Reefline, you can do so on Give Miami Day, coming up on November 16.
For more information about how you can give and the details behind The Reefline, click here.
The first installment of the project is scheduled for spring of 2024.