Right where Kale Island used to be, in the Solomon Islands, the British artist Jasom de Caires Taylor placed a sculpture called “The Solomon Siren.” Unfortunately, Kale Island stayed under water because of sea level rise and erosion. This striking artwork is a tribute to Gladys Habu Bartlett. And who was she? A local activist whose family actually owned the island.
This sculpture serves as a memory for the community and as an ecological experiment to show how human-made structures can become part of the ecosystem without doing harm. It is actually made with ph-neutral cement and sustainable materials, and it allows the growth of algae, corals, and invertebrates.
A monument where Kale once stood
British marine artist Jason de Caires Taylor installed the sculpture there in June 2026. At its center there is a figure of the real size of Gladys Habu Bartlett, leaning against a marine-grade stainless steel tree. The idea is to represent the forests and biodiversity that once were found on Kale.
Kale was more than a point of sand on the map, and unfortunately the scale of the loss is well documented. Other studies revealed that Cale covered 48.890 square meters in 1947 and that then in 2014, it did not have any more vegetation when satellite images were checked.
The sea-level timeline is built into the sculpture
And this is not an isolated case. The World Meteorological Organization reported that average sea levels have been increasing a lot from 2015 to 2024. A few millimeters can seem that is not a lot, but it elevates the starting point of the high tides.
But in the Solomon Islands, things are moving extremely fast. Other investigations prove it with around 7 millimeters a year since 1993, explaining that mostly that natural climate variability can raise water levels in the western pacific.
Kale was not lost to sea level alone
The 2016 study, supported also by h the historical knowledge of the local residents, checked the 33 reef islands using satellite images from 1947 to 2014. Researchers identified that five islands with vegetation disappeared and six of them with severe shoreline recession.
In places like Solomon Islands, adaptation plays a big role. It is very important to have the local community working together with the technical and scientific information and so, to unite the knowledge for example of the sea tides, reefs and currents.
A memorial designed to become habitat
The sculpture has many symbols, and specifically, it is very interesting how its texture helps the algae, corals and invertebrates settle there, and with its beautiful branches seabirds find a great place to rest and contemplate.
The sculpture is not a random design without a reason. Actually it was designed to encourage marine life, and of course, it may not replace the lost ecosystem, but it is still very symbolic to have it there surrounded by the landscape. At high tide, part of the sculpture stays underwater and at low tide, most of its figure can be seen.
Why Kale’s warning reaches far beyond the Pacific
Specifically for a small island community, sea-level rise impacts in general are “worse” than in other places, since these problems reach all the people living there in their daily lives. The most common risks are the damage to coastal ecosystems and infrastructure, contamination of groundwater with salt, and high probabilities of flooding.
“The Solomon Siren”, it is not only a beautiful sculpture that provides a place for seabirds and marine organisms to stay; it is also a symbol and memorial of a big loss.
