- Uncertain Futures: Jelly Fish, 2008. Jelly and emaciated fish.
Uncertain Futures: Jelly Fish
Climate change is affecting the temperatures of our sea’s and ocean’s. This is causing an up surge of plankton which in turn is increasing the numbers of jelly fish. They are appearing in enormous numbers and roaming to places they have never been seen before. They are effecting human leisure activities and eating vast quantities of fish fry devastating already dwindling fish stocks.
This piece of work highlights the paradox of something inedible destroying the highly edible.
Inedible Jelly Fish - Edible Fish
Edible Jelly - Inedible Fish
The jelly seems almost alive as it moves and glistens. Its shine and seeming wetness is in direct contrast to the emaciated withered fish. The smell of the jelly is intoxicating; over powering the rank smell of decay. The contrasts evoke both shock and delight.
The immediate revulsion of rotting fish inside colourful children’s jelly would normally make us dismiss this piece as contrived, but . . . the visual beauty of the piece, and the artistry which is used in its construction (not to mention the clever little title) seduce us into thinking about the message the artist is trying to put across to us. We forgive it for being ugly because we can see the beauty in it.
Comment by Jonathan Hill — March 28, 2009 @ 9:25 am