Caught
2020
Joanne Daschel
Lincoln City, OR, USA
21 x 16 x 1 inches
stained glass, smalti, gold smalti, Wedi substrate, tinted mortar
not for sale
I started work on this mosaic before the pandemic or the protests, based on my study and observations of another species. Living on the Oregon coast, Iām able to visit spectacular animals like these Pacific sardines at our coastal aquarium. They moved together in lightning-fast precision, using invisible communication to avoid predators with synchronized darting back and forth, swirling in an endless loop. The light from above striking – flash! – on their bodies as they zoomed past.
Sadly, this magical species has experienced population crashes, the result of industrialized fishing and degraded ocean conditions. At the same time, they are viewed as lowly bait or the ingredients for farmed fish diets rather than for their inherent worth. This brought to my mind the question of worth/value. What about the value of small and overlooked species? Can we learn as humans to move together in harmony as the sardines do?
In times of despair and confusion, I find answers in nature. My hope is that shining a light on a humble, overlooked species can lead us to think about what we value, why, and how to share these rough seas together.