Over the past few decades, the environmental crisis and climate change have dominated the media. People have become desensitised to alarming news, and they no longer see the tragedy behind the dry statistics on species extinction. This project moves away from sensationalist headlines.

I want to give a visible form to those we have lost forever. My characters are the ‘ghosts’ of extinct species, fragile silhouettes made of wire and polyethylene, frozen in deep darkness.

They seem utterly ephemeral, even though, until recently, these creatures were alive, wild and free. Each piece in the project serves as a memorial: it is accompanied by a caption stating the species of the animal and the official year of its final extinction.

Techniques and materials: 

The artist’s own sculptural technique: a thermoplastic frame filled with textured polyethylene and an integrated LED system. The surface of the object is executed using a multi-layered technique: a coating of luminescent acrylic art and decorative paint, optical epoxy resin, inlaying with ‘indigo’-coloured glass chips, and a final modelling with transparent polymer.

Specifications:

 • Lighting element: self-contained blue LED string lights.

• Dimensions: 1 m.

• Base: clear acrylic with a textured finish in clear polymer (included), height 60 cm.

 A unique piece