All of the ocean’s creatures are under many different elements of stress. They are dying from habitat destruction, climate change, ocean acidification, over fishing, shark fining, oil spills, pollution, erosion, pesticide run offs, and numerous other horrible environmental disasters caused by humans.
Scientists around the world agree that these animals and reefs may become part of the Earth’s past with-in many of our life times. These copper plates are displaying these animals from a future perspective of the ocean’s animals that lived long ago. Often, many people have a somber feeling when looking at historic photos from the 1800s because the people in the images have passed on.
This work is an attempt to re-create that emotion. The human figure represents that this is the result of human presence and neglect of the underwater environment. The reflections in the copper reflect the viewer, showing their influence on the animals directly. The images are an imitation of the past; the copper is corroded to look old and the imagery is imitating old tin types of the mid 1800s.
They are a reference to the past, the beginnings of photography, surrealism, and if things continue to harm the reefs; the history of these animals that once inhabited in the oceans. This body of work is titled Out of Sight, Out of Mind.