Whale Fall, 2020

Collaboration with Ocèane Jacob

“Whale Fall” aims to shed light on whale fall ecosystems and the incredibly diverse yet vulnerable world found deep below the surface of the ocean.  When a whale dies, its carcass slowly sinks, eventually settling on the ocean floor where it promotes fragile ecosystems by providing ample food sources to organisms that never see the sun.  The collaborative sculpture focuses on the circle of life as well as the intrusive nature of plastic within this ecosystem. 
With such a hostile environment plagued by scarce food sources, whale carcasses are essential to the survival of deep-sea species. However, the bioaccumulation of plastics within the whale bodies as well as the settling of plastic waste onto the ocean floor have led to a build-up of toxicity and a loss of habitat. Here hydrothermal vents, coral and sponge species are recreated using solely single-use plastics. The toxic nature of this man-made material is apparent in the manner in which it has overtaken the carcass and rendered the surrounding environment sterile and devoid of life.
 Plastics are one of the most dangerous wastes generated by humans – by 2050 it is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. The effects are already apparent – microplastics contaminate our food sources while large marine mammals regularly wash up on shores with stomachs filled with plastic waste. The ripple effects of plastic have impacted every trophic level and the death of organisms due to plastic not only destroys the diversity of marine life but also impacts carbon emissions as living species act as carbon sinks – whales are thought to hold as much carbon as a thousand trees. The pervasive and destructive nature of plastic begs the question: will our deep sea ecosystems one day resemble that represented here – a hostile sterile environment with only remnants of the giants that once roamed our planet and captured our imaginations?