Ghost net coral panel

Date2017

Object number00055492

NameSculpture

MediumGhost net (reclaimed fishing net and rope), polypropylene

DimensionsOverall: 1164 × 1138 × 90 mm, 2837 g

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection gift of Marion Gaemers

Terms

DescriptionA panel of Ghost-net coral by artist Marion Gaemers who works in collaboration with the Erub Arts Centre, Darnley Island in the Torres Strait. The panel is made out of coloured fibres of fishing nets that were found and repurposed. By weaving, sewing and twining the threads, Marion Gaemers has created both soft and hard corals such as Brain Coral, Great Star Coral, Tubular Coral, Disc Coral, Coral shells and a starfish. HistoryGhost nets are deadly to millions of marine animals each year in addition to suffocating coral and damaging seabeds. The durability of their materials and sturdy construction ensure they last, float and kill year after year. Nets are capable of travelling over vast distances and catching large marine animals such as whales, sharks and especially turtles. Very often these nets wash ashore on coasts across the world, one area being the islands in the Torres Strait. On Erub Island in 2010, rather than leave these discarded piles abandoned, Erub artists began to weave and transform these deadly Ghost-nets into sculptures of the marine life the nets had once killed. Over time these sculptures became large collaborative events involving multiple artists who continue to use traditional weaving skills and cultural knowledge to repurpose modern materials and environmental waste. These pieces of Ghost-net sculpture speak of Torres Strait Islanders cultural connections to the sea as well as Australian maritime culture, navigation, environmental issues, science, language and sustainability. Although uniquely from Erub, Ghost-net sculptures speak to all humanity on the crisis of our oceans and the need to protect the diversity of life found there.SignificanceThis panel by Marian Gaemers forms part of the installation Au Karem Ira Lamar Lu - Ghost Nets of the Ocean, on display in the foyer of the Australian National Maritime Museum.

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.