To protect marine life from unsustainable fishing practices, artist Emily Young is exhibiting her work underwater. Known as Britain’s greatest living stone sculptor, she has displayed in some of the world’s most reputable spaces. But the sea off the coast of Tuscany is a first. Young joined a group of artists as part of the Casa dei Pesci Project. In an effort to prevent illegal bottom trawling, they have submerged their marble structures several metres below the ocean's surface.
“I was very happy to join in and make a sculpture that was going to go down and last for millions of years,” Young says. She has always been captivated by the link between the environment and art. “We need to be more thoughtful about how we behave on Earth,” she says. While trawling is banned in Italy within three nautical miles of the coast, fishermen emerge at night to drag their nets along the seafloor. In the process, the nets scrape and destroy vast beds of seagrasses that are endemic to the Mediterranean and a sanctuary for fish. But Young is putting a stop to bottom trawling with sculptures that obstruct and break weighted nets. In the Tuscan depths, she showcases four structures including ‘The Weeping Guardian’. Consisting of over 10 tonnes of Carrara marble and sitting eight metres deep, it gives fauna and flora room to thrive while scuba divers may enjoy the view.
“We made something and it had a beautiful result,” Young says. With her stone art, she is both guarding and restoring the sea. Today, her sculptures function as a habitat for marine species. “There is always going to be something, however tiny it is, that you can do to manifest love for the planet,” she says.
Footage and images by Emily Young and Greenpeace were used in the creation of this film.
