Meet Entangled, my fish for this year's school of Classic Cod that will be part of the Art Drive Open Studio Tour in August. Each year participating artists create a school of fish that are used to promote this annual juried summer art tour in Dartmouth & Westport, MA. After the Art Drive, the fish are auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds going to our local environmental education center.
The selection of the Atlantic bearded cod for this year's fish was a timely one, as new fishing regulation go into effect this month. Although New Bedford is one of the biggest dollar yield ports for fish in the US, cod fishing will be severely curtailed going forward. The livelihood of fisherman and the ancillary industries they support are in question. While debates rage about the science behind the restrictions and the politics of enforcement, the harbor is filled with docked fishing boats of every type as owners struggle to survive with catch limits, rising fuel etc. It is a tangled mess.
Entangled is a digital composite made from the photo below of trawling gear and images of ocean waves, along with some digital painting. The trawling rope used for the beard was graciously provided by Reidar's Mfg - a local company owned by fishermen making gear for fishing boats.
