Trawling the Algae Overload

Materials: Wool yarns, mulberry paper, rubber inner tubes, corn on the cob tray, rigid foam, canvas, wire, luan plywood, acrylic paint, gel medium,hardware

“Trawling the Algae Overload” is part of a series of sculptures highlighting the impact of human behavior on nature. The lustrous white feathers of this majestic pelican evoke an image of simple purity. Rows of lacy feathers are piled in layers on the bird’s body, falling like curls on a baby’s head. The pelican’s neck stretches tall, arcing toward the powerful, but empty, beak. This bird finds no food in the algae-choked waters through which it glides.

The black waters, with a surface made of industrial rubber, harbor no fish. The algae have choked all life from their depths.  The sickly yellow-green algae is knitted and felted into creeping layers of thick muck. The distressed surface is punctuated by ridges and bulges, sticking to the soft white feathers of the bird.

The softness of the yarn invites you to reach out toward the bird to save it from starvation. Looking at the glint in the bird’s yellow-rimmed eyes and its slightly parted beak, you can almost hear the bird’s sharp call. Pushing forward through the sludge, it lifts its wings ready for flight.

The white pelican can be seen across nearly two-thirds of the United States as it migrates between Canada to Mexico. I saw a large flock along the Illinois River on an early summer hike. Many of the inland waters in the bird’s territory are choked with algal blooms. Agricultural runoff and unmaintained septic systems dump excessive nutrients in the water, feeding the algae. As the algae use up all the oxygen, the fish die, leaving no food for birds and other animals further up the food chain.

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Artwork and image ©2017 Eve Jacobs-Carnahan; photo by Paul Rogers, Stowe VT