Reflection

Ocean pollution has profound effects on the marine life we consume, notably fish, crustaceans, and bivalves. Contamination like plastic debris, heavy metals, and chemicals leached from industrial and agricultural sources accumulate in the water, entering the bodies of these aquatic creatures through ingestion or absorption. Consequently, ocean pollution not only threatens the health and survival of these species but also jeopardizes the safety of seafood for human consumption, highlighting the urgent need for effective pollution mitigation strategies. An inspiration for my piece was the famous painting, "The Birth of Venus", by Sandro Botticelli. The painting shows Venus, the woman in the center, being clothed by another woman and a pair of winged man and women. This painting feels light, vibrant, and serine to me, but I wanted to show the exact opposite. The dark and murky water is a direct opposite to the light, bright blue sky. In the center, there's a fish with a woman inside, Venus. She represents all of the harmful effects that could happen with the growing consumption of food with contaminates. The clothes now spill out under the lifeless fish and Venus/us. I wanted the trash like the plastic and nets feel claustrophobic and suffocating. The climate crisis is a man-made problem, with the ignorance and apathy, but that doesn't mean that everyone is like that. I want the viewers to see my piece and view it as a wake up call. I want to be able to create and share art with meaning behind it, and i hope the sparks conversations. Meaningful conversations that can be shared with everyone from people like our friends, family, teachers, strangers, and especially people like our politicians. We need our politicians to hear and share our voices. Our community need to come together and tackle the problem that is climate change. Organizing petitions and voicing to local politicians our concerns are real and effective ways we can help grow awareness to this problem.