Tearing Away the Illusion
Singapore
2018, Junior, Art (2014 – 2023)
Reflection
We often picture our ocean as a beautiful, powerful being. The titan-like waves that submerge the largest of ships, the soothing music of water lapping at sand, the wondrous species of fish and coral the ocean protects, and the cool, clear water that we welcome on scorching hot days. We visualize the sea as an unstoppable being, that surrounds our dry lands for eons to come. But we need to shatter that illusion we hold so dear to us. While waves will continue to shake our boats, more and more of these waves grow in size. The ocean will continue to lap at our shores, but one day, those small waves will overtake parts of our land, claiming it for the ocean. The numerous species of life that dwell in the ocean will slowly dwindle into nothingness, leaving a mass grave. And what we know as sheer bliss when we dive into the once cool ocean will be nothing but a memory. In its place is an ocean we won’t recognize. We ignore the oncoming slaughter of thousands of species with a curtain of an illusion. We forget about the ocean’s suffering and pleas for help while we continue to destroy our atmosphere. While we may see a clear ocean from our view as humans, underneath the riptide is an apocalypse. A mass genocide of innocent lives. Fish, mammal and coral alike. To save our ocean, we must shatter the illusion we created for it.