Dirty Ecologies: the Black Marlin in Allens Creek
Illustration for Current Conservation on Black Marlins spotted in industrial creeks in New South Wales, Australia.
Art direction: Prabha Mallya
Illustration: Aindri
Writer: Michael Adams
The presence and agency of the Black Marlin in the middle of the
steelworks bring into focus debates about the nature of nature in the twenty first
century. The giant ocean fish swims into the heart of industrial Port Kembla not
because it is disoriented, but because the ‘dirty ecologies’ of this
steelworks bring into focus debates about the nature of nature in the twenty first
century. The giant ocean fish swims into the heart of industrial Port Kembla not
because it is disoriented, but because the ‘dirty ecologies’ of this
human-transformed environment provide resources and shelter.
Process:
Collected texture rubbings -feel free to use!
Drafts: The final images draw from both documentary and concept drawings. The two final illustrations run as a sequence to reveal man's presence in this ecology. The Marlin was spotted under a bridge near Port Pembla.
