In 2017, Jacq Chorlton an artist in Perth, created a piece for Wearable Art Mandurah. Based on an Anglerfish, she created the garment by cutting up over 200 milk bottles. These were then hand cut into scales and applied to a handmade crinoline. Both the tail (headpiece) and fins on the arms were formed from ironed milk bottle plastic, heat fused into larger sheets. The fish has a giant mouth that surrounds the models legs fitted with sharp milk bottle plastic teeth. The model holds a curved staff with a light to resemble the fish’s luminous esca.
Jacq’s piece entitled ‘A fish out of water’ received the ‘Creative Reuse Award’ her statement as follows:
At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, in the darkest depths, lurks the weird Anglerfish. A strange sight by all accounts. The female using her inbuilt light to lure her prey. A feared predator of the deep. But scarily the biggest predator of the ocean right now is manmade: plastic.
It’s estimated one truckload of plastic is dumped into our oceans every hour, killing over 100,000 marine creatures every year.
An Anglerfish made from plastic, ironically the very same material that is currently choking our oceans.
Photo courtesy of Wearable Art Mandurah