Fading Footprints

Emily Ling, Hobart City High School

In collaboration with Francisco Albergoli
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, UTAS

Artist’s Statement

My project was inspired by my collaborator, Fran, and his research on the Red Handfish. Fran is working on Red Handfish habitat restoration. They are at risk due to habitat degradation, specifically the loss of seagrass and reef algae, and too many sea urchins.

I was inspired after visiting the Red Handfish breeding program at IMAS. I was shocked after learning that we saw almost as many Red Handfish in the facility as there are in the wild.

My artwork was inspired by the extinction the Red Handfish is facing. I chose to represent half of the fish as a skeleton to bring awareness to their endangerment.

My artwork is made out of two sides, one side is sculpted and painted to look alive, while the other is a skeleton. To build it, I used cardboard and foil as the base, and clay and paper mâché to make the details and texture. I finished it with different types of paint to make it look realistic. I chose to put the hand fish on mirrors to make the viewer reflect on how we can give the red hand fish the best chance of survival.

In my piece, I am exploring themes of extinction, and the contrast between life and death. By representing the living fish and its skeleton side by side, I want to show the viewers the beauty of this unique creature as well as how close it is to disappearing completely.