"big problems": artist statement

Title: “big problems”

Thinking Skill(s): Synthesizing

For this project, I’m going to make a large drawing of a whale shark. This is the 2nd part of it that I’ve done fingerpainting in goache. Whale sharks are the largest animals in the sea and are entirely harmless, as they’re filter feeders. Quite unfortunately, these gentle giants are endangered and most of it is due to humans.  Whale sharks are considered to be very desirable in Asian countries. This includes China and Oman. Often they are used for shark fin soup, meaning only the fins are consumed and the rest of the fish goes uneaten. They are also wanted for their oil, which can be used to waterproof fishing boats. Their biggest threat is humans. 

They can sometimes be caught in propellers, run into fishing boats, get caught accidentally as a byproduct, or sometimes get tangled in unused fishing gear. They’ve recently been moved from “Vulnerable” to “Endangered”  by the IUCN. Whale sharks are extremely susceptible to intentional fishing because their size, slowness, docile nature, and long development time, they’re easy to catch and are easily overwhelmed by the poaching. I want to raise awareness for the whale sharks in hopes of one day bringing them back to what they were. I’ve decided to make a large drawing of a whale shark using multiple mediums. This ties into the synthesizing. I also did it because of the way whale sharks are used. Most of the time, whole parts of them go unused and wasted, and so I wanted to imitate the process of putting them back together with the different parts of the whole drawing. This cause is very important because the whale shark is an important part of its ecosystem. They are an indicator of water quality, as they feed on plankton, and will often lead to the attraction of more desirable fish such as tuna. 

Whale sharks are essentially gentle giants of the ocean, and because humans are the cause of the decline in their population, we are responsible for fixing it. When I’m done with this project, I hope that it might help raise some more awareness for the whale sharks and ensure the safety of their species in the future.

Sources:

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2016/07/whale-sharks-now-endangered/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/w/whale-shark/

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/whale-shark

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/rhincodon-typus/

https://www.nature.org/newsfeatures/specialfeatures/animals/fish/whale-shark.xml

THE FULL PIECE IS SPLIT UP INTO PARTS AND LABELLED AS DIFFERENT PROJECTS

project four: "big problems"

original base finger painting without the patterns

with patterns

slight close-up

close-up 1

close-up 2

full project

"unfinished": artist statement

Title: "unfinished"

Thinking Skill(s): contextualisation, contrast

Time Taken: 5 days

Artist Statement:

the rosy fiddler crab is a subspecies of the fiddler crab. it lives mostly in singapore and prefers to be hidden away under vegetation. it is fairly small and entirely harmless to humans. even though it likes to stay hidden, the rosy fiddler crab has been listed as endangered in singapore. this is because of the loss of the mangroves that are home to the crabs and other various forms of wildlife. this is due to an increase in development within the areas that used to belong to the mangroves. this project relates back to contextualisation in two ways. the first one is relating to the displacement of the rosy fiddler crab due to loss of their habitat. theyre forced to make sense of surroundings theyre unfamiliar with and often perish. that and the lack of colouring in the claw. this is arguably the most interesting part of the crab, and yet i purposely left it blank, forcing whoever sees it to imagine what could possibly fill that area. it also relates to contrast for obvious reasons. the body of the crab itself is very dark, and the one large claw is normally a very vibrant red. leaving it blank makes the white stand out against it even more. this cause is important because it shows how development and other factors affect not only the animals, but the plant life as well. the rosy fiddler crab isnt very well known, so it isnt likely that many people will care. thats why i felt it was so important to make an art piece of this species of fiddler crab in particular.

i hope that im able to raise some more concern for this facinating crab before its too late.

Sources: 

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/ocypodoidea/rosea.htm

http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/text/2053.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/mangrove/mangroves.htm

project three: "big problems"

Thinking Skill: Synthesis

Media Used: White charcoal on black paper

artist statement: full artist statement will be posted when all parts of this project are completed.

small practice

beginning stages

final product for part 1

final product for part 1

close up

"fragile": artist statement

title: "fragile"
thinking skills: evaluating + cause and effect
time taken: 5-6 days
artist statement: the ganges river dolphin is an extrememley endangered species of fresh water dolphin found primarily in the ganges river. as of right now, there are currently only around 1,200-1,800 of them left in the wild. this is due to the continued pollution of the ganges river. this makes the water uninhabitable for the dolphins that call it their home. for the evaluating portion, ive been doing research on the current situation facing the ganges river dolphin. ive also tied cause + effect into this by figuring out what caused what and finding a (theoretical) potential solution.
pollution is easily managed by legislation and protective measures for wild animals. because there is a lack of these things, the ganges river is suffering along with the creatures within it. i believe there should be laws put in place that prevent further trash and other pollutants to stop the river from being so toxic to organisms that depend on it for survival. there should also be a law mandated cleanup crew to try and clear away all of the hazardous things within the river to try and make it more suitable as a habitat. along with this, there should be some sort of protective agency to take care of the dolphins presently living there as the cleanup crew attempts to make the river safer.
trash and other pollutants make the ganges river almost unlivable and has caused the numbers of the ganges river dolphin to drop to extremely worrying levels. (cause + effect) in order to try and fix this, i propose a change in legislation pertaining to the amount of pollution in the ganges river and an agency devoted to the cleanup of the ganges river, care of the ganges river dolphins (among other organisms that might call the river home), and raising awareness for this issue. (evaluating)
i created this piece with the intent to prove a point and hopefull raise awareness for the hardships faced by the marine and aquatic environments. i used newsprint because its a very fragile and often underestimated surface, and i used this to doubly represent both the fragility of the ganges river dolphin population, the dolphins themselves, and how the importance of these dolphins and other organisms like them is often underestimated because they arent humans and are therefore a lesser species.
i hope this drawing can have some positive effect in the long run for the fate of the ganges river dolphin.

project one: "fragile"

for this project, i simply used a reguar pencil on newsprint paper in order to create a drawing of the ganges river dolphin. i chose this medium with this drawing for a very specific reason that i will explain in my artist statement. :)

project 2: "unfinished"

for this project, i used water colour to paint a rosy fiddler crab. the artist statement will be in a separate post.