The worlds of art and science will merge in the opening lecture during the University of Delaware School of Marine Science and Policy’s 2018 Ocean Currents Lectures Series, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 24th.

Photographer Lynn Alleva Lilley will share her upcoming photobook, Deep Time, a photographic exploration of the horseshoe crab, in conjunction with a question-and-answer session about the Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus Polyphemus, led by UD doctoral student Molly Ashur.

The presentation will be held in room 104 of the Cannon Laboratory on UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus, 700 Pilottown Road, in Lewes.

The lecture series is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. This lecture is appropriate for all age groups.

About the presenters

Lynn Alleva Lilley is a photographer and was the 2017 College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment artist-in-residence. Her latest photobook, Deep Time, examines the convergence of art, science and the natural world as seen through the life of the ancient Atlantic horseshoe crab, an invertebrate found and photographed locally in the Delaware Bay.

The title of Alleva Lilley’s photobook, Deep Time, refers to the geological term for the period of time that the Earth is estimated to have existed, approximately 4.5 million years. The book is driven by the question, “What does ‘deep time’ look and feel like in the present?”

Alleva Lilley’s other career highlights include teaching photography workshops to foreign students in Jordan, as well as to young Jordanians in refugee camps. Her photographs have been published in The Times (London), the Washington Post and Wallpaper Magazine online, among other media outlets. Her previous photobook, Tender Mint, was long-listed for the Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2018 and contains images embodying loss, grief and surprising, otherworldly beauty in the context of Jordan.  

Molly Ashur, who is pursuing a UD doctoral degree in marine biosciences with a focus on invertebrate sensory ecology, has firsthand experience with Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs. During the Q&A, Ashur will provide scientific context to Alleva Lilley’s work, answering questions about the creature itself.

Upcoming Lectures

Additional Ocean Currents Lectures scheduled for this summer include:

• June 21: Chris Sommerfield, “Understanding Sea Level Rise in Coastal Delaware.”
• July 19: Aaron Carlisle, “Voyage to the White Shark Cafe.”
• Aug. 16: Art Trembanis, “The Life Autonomous- Developments and Applications of Robotic Platforms for Mapping Coastal Ecosystems.”

Visit the CEOE events page for updates on dates and times.