Upcoming events
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Kiel, Germany
28th September 2022
In the Baltic Sea, the sculpture began its journey across Europe, giving voice to the fish. It told of how cod and herring have disappeared from the ocean and seagrass meadows have turned into deserts.
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Kiel, Germany
6th October 2022
How do we face the crisis in which the Baltic Sea, fish and fisheries find themselves and is there an opportunity in the crisis? A panel discussion took place with experts from science, politics, fisheries and NGO.
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Luxembourg
17th October 2022
During the negotiations on fishing quota for the Baltic Sea the sculpture will remind fisheries ministers of the dramatic state of fish populations and their duty to end overfishing.
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![La Rochelle, France]()
France
28th - 29th October
The sculpture will land in France to bring awareness of the reality of dolphins sacrificed in fishing nets. An exhibition of photographs will shock our indifference, inviting us to take action to protect the oceans.
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Vigo, Spain
12th - 13th November
In Vigo we will delve into fishing of the past and its cultural and political legacy, and imagine the fishing of the future: respectful of the marine environment and socially fair.
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Sagres, Portugal
19th November
After a long journey, the sculpture returns to the sea. It will remain in a marine protected area to draw attention to the importance and necessity of these areas to restore marine biodiversity.
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![Online, Spain]()
Online, Spain
26th November 2022
An online round table to explore a more socially fair and less damaging fishing model. This is vital for a sound fisheries management in the regions dependent on fishing.
The problem
Fish populations and marine biodiversity are threatened by overfishing and destructive fishing practices. Catching fish at a rate faster than they can reproduce can cause entire fish populations to collapse, with knock-on effects for the ecosystem they are part of. Destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling cause irreversible damage to marine habitats and decrease their climate mitigation capacities. Bycatch of marine mammals, seabirds, sharks and non-commercial fish has devastating effects on biodiversity and marine ecosystems.
To protect the oceans from destructive fishing we need a shift towards fishing methods with a low impact on the environment, as well as to a fair and safe work environment for fishers applying these practices. Only by a just transition like this will we be able to create a future where fish populations can grow back to a healthy size, where ocean life can thrive again and where fisheries can provide sustainable and healthy food for humans. Our future use of the ocean must enhance the health and well-being of marine life, not undermine it.
The solution
This autumn, a coalition of European marine conservation NGOs is organizing an art action to raise awareness on the threats fisheries pose to the ocean. A sculpture will act as an advocate of the ocean bringing the destruction of marine habitats and wildlife to the surface. The sculpture will travel from Germany to Portugal via Luxemburg, France and Spain. At every stop a public event will take place, highlighting one major threat the ocean is facing in that area. This action will connect people, art and nature all over Europe to discuss and create joint solutions for the future.
The art action
Nature has much more value than the well-known materialistic goods and services attributed by the Western World. Like art, nature has an emotional and spiritual value for humans, due to the beauty and cultural, spiritual and inspirational significance. Nature is a source of historic and social meanings, values, feelings, ideas and associations that inspires people. Especially the ocean has always been a place of inspiration and fascination.
Why art?
About the sculpture
The sculpture is a woman carrying a fish from the ocean to land. For centuries, no “marine resource” has shaped the connection of humans with the ocean as much as fish. The sculpture is an advocate of marine wildlife, who is bringing the destruction of marine habitats and creatures to the surface. She is a witness of what we humans have done to the oceans in decades of extraction and destruction. She is challenging us to rethink and recreate our connection with the ocean.
“If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is not because I deliberately put it there, but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.”
About the artist
Jared Bartz belongs to the tradition of representational sculpting, carving works out of the material with unique precision. The perfection of his handiwork stands in stark contrast to the imperfection of the production process. Thanks to the chainsaw’s rudimentary processing techniques, the sculptor’s works are characterized by their rough surfaces. These textures are Bartz's trademark, lending his sculptures a tactile strength and distinctive vitality.
