BFA Thesis Abstract

I have been drawn to ocean environments ever since I can remember. To me, this ecosystem, which relies on an intricate equilibrium of biodiversity and interactions are both crucial to our existence as well as a fascinating piece of natural design. As an artist I feel I have a great opportunity to promote ocean and aquatic species conservation. Consequently, the components that make up my practice as an activist artist at present from the three-dimensional work, to the graphics and website reflect my concerns. In my BFA exhibition for instance, I challenge the widespread fear and loathing of sharks, which has lead to an indifference to the barbaric practice of finning. I believe in fighting to have this banned.  This practice entails the incredibly malicious to amputate the shark’s fins. The fins are it’s only mode of movement and in many cases they are thrown still-alive back into the water to drowned. The high demand for the delicacy, whose only use is to make a traditional Chinese soup, has resulted in an increased in the poaching of shark fins. The effect of this is sharks are being over fished. The majority of people in China are not aware that shark fin soup contains shark because the actual translation is, “fish wing soup”. I believe the indifference in the West to these practices stem from the fact that humans have been taught to understand sharks as being nothing but vicious and dangerous.

In our culture today, the shark's reputation has been spun into a viscously negative and incorrect one. As human beings I feel many of us love to hate this species because of the fierce appearance and the way the media portrays them. Sharks have been alive for more than four hundred million years and within the past three decades there has been a drastic decline in their populations. It is in my BFA exhibit I have created work to discuss the issues of the Biophilia Hypothesis and sharks. This hypothesis suggests that through culture and experience humans are prone to be attracted to cetian elements in order to sustain biological evolution. Here I have created numerous shark bodies that resemble animals that humans are subconscioulsy attracted too based on appearance. This work is intended to question the viewer's attitude and view of the shark species in hopes of opening their eyes to the realtiy.

(Body of work consists of hand made rope from Amaco fibers and synthetic yarn, hooks and shark bodies sewn from fuzzy fabric based off of a polar bear, kola bear and panda bear.)