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Bebe
Bebe

Bebe

Date2016
Object number00055245
NameSculpture
MediumGhost net (reclaimed fishing net and rope), polypropylene, rope and twine
DimensionsOverall: 70 × 380 × 400 mm, 280 g
Copyright© Florence Gutchen
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection purchased by the ANMM Foundation with the assistance of Sid Faithfull and Christine Sadler Program supporting Contemporary Indigenous Maritime Heritage in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait
DescriptionBebe (medium turtle) made by Erub artist Florence Gutchen from Darnley Island in the Torres Strait using ghost-net. Ghost-nets are nets discarded by fisherman at sea that continue to float, often entangling turtles, dugong and other marine animals, before washing up on the shore. In northern Australia where the problem is acute, local artists are using ghost-nets as a medium for highlighting the problem, creating stunning works of animals caught in the nets and works that reflect cultural stories and ways of life in the Torres Strait Islands. History"A number of varieties of turtles nest and breed on the shores of the Torres Strait. Turtles are important to Torres Strait Islanders in so many different ways. It is one of their traditional tribal totems and it has been part of their customs to hunt turtles as one of their main food sources. In Australia, abandoned fishing nets (also known as ghost nets) from boats are washed ashore, trapping marine species such as turtles and dugongs. Sadly, these turtles make up 80 percent of the marine life found caught in these nets. As an environmental project, Erub Artists are utilising these abandoned ghost nets in an attempt to clean up the oceans. Their objective is to raise awareness about the negative impacts of ghost nets by creating art such as this turtle out of reclaimed fishing nets." -- Erub Erwer Meta Arts Centre, Erub Erwer Meta Torres Strait Islander Corporation.SignificanceUsing a cross-cultural and collaborative model Erub Arts is leading the way in large sculptural forms constructed using Ghost Net, producing woven, wrapped and twined statements about traditional and contemporary island life.