It is becoming more widely recognised that the arts and humanities have a crucial part to play within the field of science and conservation: they have an enormous power to communicate and engage the emotions, and to inspire people to act where standalone figures and statistics fall short. In light of this, I wanted to share some of the work of Sonia Shomalzadeh, who is a wildlife artist based in Wiltshire in the UK, and focuses her artwork on the disappearance of marine wildlife. I met Sonia while studying on a horticulture course, and when she showed me her work I was so impacted by its poignancy, particularly her ‘sand series’, which are life-size drawings of whales on the beaches which become washed away by the tide. The scale of these drawings, and their combination of artistry with a lifelike quality are very affecting, and the use of the natural world as a canvas gets right to the heart of the message. It seemed incredulous that such impactful works of art should be so fleeting, but that is precisely the point. I’ve asked Sonia to share a bit about her background and her work, so here’s what she had to say:
Have you always been passionate about marine life/conservation, and why is it important to you?
I was born in Portsmouth and my Dad use to take us camping in Swanage from a young age - he said I always wanted to be in the water. My mum spent her childhood swimming in Mauritius and now we will go in the sea together at any given opportunity. My auntie is a Marine Biologist and I grew up listening to her talk about her adventures. She is now working on many conservation efforts, including an oyster restoration project in the Solent. She is a big inspiration of mine. And so my immediate family have instilled a love of the ocean in me. I feel a sense of calm looking out to the horizon, watching the waves and the colours and the light sparkling on the surface and there is no better feeling to me than diving into crystal clear water.
I became passionate about marine life when I lived in Cornwall and started noticing plastic pollution on the coastline. I wasn’t quite prepared for the scale of the problem once I started to research it. I think there was a fact I stumbled across that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean, which was an estimate in 2011. My first thought went to the creatures whose home we have polluted and the troubles it has caused them. This was before it got air time on ‘Blue Planet’ and became widely talked about. I am relieved it is being tackled now and people are taking action in their day to day lives.
Can you explain a bit about the process and significance behind your sand series?
The sand drawings take anything up to an hour. They happen relatively quickly for their size. I pace out the average length of a species and draw between two markers. I only see the full drawing once its complete and I get to the cliff top above it or fly over with the drone. I work in an abstract way and spend a lot of time studying the shapes beforehand. The drawings usually work out how I imagined them to be, and I work with just a stick, my hands and my feet to make them.
It is a mix of emotions when I see them wash away with the tide. There is a deep sense of sadness because I know many species that I have drawn are literally disappearing and that is the message I am trying to convey to witnesses of my work. When I started this work, I chose the most endangered species of marine mammals. I recently did a project in Scotland on the Moray Firth and researched whales that inhabit the North Sea. I made works of Bowhead and Fin whales and made my first drawing of a Sperm Whale mother and calf.
How do people tend to engage with or respond to your sand drawings?
Most of the sand drawings have been made at Gwithian on the North Cornwall coast. There is a steep cliff edge, which gives great views and I would often see crowds gathering. People on the ground would ask what I was doing, kids join in, others would give positive comments. I made a symbolic piece in the Azores on a historic whaling beach as part of a residency with Marine Conservation Research, living and working on their research vessel ‘Song of the Whale’. They asked me to make a drawing using a disentanglement rod from the boat and they all came to watch.
What do you think is the value of art within conservation?
My work is nearly always inspired by scientific research in the conservation field for nature. I believe there is a crucial space for art as an outlet to share information in a meaningful way. I think art has the ability to connect with people and create a lasting impact, which can lead to powerful change.
What threats to whales or marine life do you feel are most concerning, and what can people be doing to help?
All wildlife that is threatened is of particular concern to me. I chose whales for the sand series because I wanted the artwork to be life-size, so people could get a sense of the scale of these animals and the scale of biodiversity loss. The tides washing over them could be seen from a distance and reach more viewers. Marine life are facing so many threats now, the biggest are over fishing, climate change, ship strikes, plastic pollution, sound pollution and hunting. To help combat this, I think people can reduce plastic consumption, reduce their carbon footprint, eat less fish, protest, write to the government, raise awareness in their local communities, do beach cleans and wash synthetic clothes in mesh bags to stop micro plastics getting into the water system ending up in the sea.
Do you have any future projects planned?
I am hoping to do my next trips in Iceland and the Scilly Isles to make more sand drawings and capture them by drone.
Finally, what other wildlife artists inspire you?
I am inspired by Olly and Suzi who are collaborative artists that paint endangered species in the wilderness. Ahmed Nadalian is an Iranian artist who made a series of fish rock carvings, which he threw into rivers where fish had disappeared. Darren Rees is a British wildlife artist who I have long admired for his ability to capture fleeting moments of seabirds.
*
Thank you to Sonia for her contributions to this post 😊 please have a look at her website to see and read more about her work, which you can access with this link: https://www.soniashomalzadeh.art/ or her Instagram (available from her website), and maybe have a research of what you could be doing to help marine conservation efforts!
Comments