Our hunger for consumerism is ending up in the sea and if we are not more mindful, the magnificence of our oceans will be lost.
An exhibition by Jacqui Ward
Sleeping on her coral bed
the mermaid wakens to a sound of dread
a song of stress and agony
she knows not what this sound might be!
She pushes up from the ocean floor
to find a whale close to shore
entwined in net and plastic debris
she does her best to set it free
She pulls and pushes with all her might
to no avail the whale’s plight
Tangled in ghost nets and swallowing plastics
life in the sea
has become quite drastic!
Having grown up by the sea and savouring the magical world below the waves, the artist feels compelled to speak out on the mermaid’s behalf.
Our hunger for consumerism is ending up in the sea and if we are not more mindful, the magnificence of our oceans will be lost.
Jacqui Ward’s installation is a fanciful snapshot of what may lie below.
” Water and Air,
the two essential fluids on which all life depends,
have become global garbage cans”
– Jacques Cousteau
EXHIBITION DATES:
Friday 3 – Saturday 25 September 2021
Daily Opening Hours:
Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am – 2:00pm
Sundays 10:00am – 2:00pm*
*CLOSED Father’s Day : Sunday 5 September 2021
[rev_slider mermaid-fears]
Image Credits:
Key Image: Jacqui Ward. Mermaid’s Fears (2021). Mixed media, installation. Photograph by Jacqui Ward.
Additional Images:
Jacqui Ward. The Lyre (2021). Drift wood and long lines. 90cm x 60cm. Photograph by Jacqui Ward.
Jacqui Ward. Whaling Wall (2021). Discarded text and paint. 80cm x 60cm.Photograph by Jacqui Ward.
Jacqui Ward. Whale Bones (2021). Driftwood, installation. Photograph by Jacqui Ward.