Oceana
Charybdis is an effigy to the ocean fauna directly impacted by industrialized fisheries. Fixed and active fishing gear, including snow crab and lobster pot arrays, pose greater threat to whales than do derelict "ghost" fishing gear. Over 70% humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine bear scarring from entanglement in fishing apparatuses.
Whales are collateral to the capitalist practices that push fisheries to adopt unsafe lifestyles and technology, to meet the demands of trade and commerce beyond local community. The responsibility falls on consumers and voters to opt for policies and conservation that promotes a healthy ocean for fishing families and fauna alike. We must also learn from our indigenous neighbors who have long known that wilderness is finite and precious, rather than a commodity.
This sculpture is visceral and unapologetic, directing the viewer's empathy towards a catastrophe that occurs far beyond our terrestrial scope.
COLLECTION OF WHALE AND DOLPHIN CONSERVATION