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    Greg Corbino’s Fish Puppets Made from Reclaimed Trash Migrate Along the Hudson River

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    2022 performance of “Murmurations”
    at the River to River Festival. Photo
    by Robin Michals. All images shared with permission

    Greg Corbino’s Fish Puppets Made from Reclaimed Trash Migrate Along the Hudson River

    June 21, 2025

    ArtClimateNature

    Kate Mothes

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    Beginning in the Adirondack Mountains and flowing south into New York Harbor, the iconic Hudson River stretches 315 miles through scenic valleys and creative towns. It’s also a migration route for numerous species of fish, from sturgeon and bass to herring and eels, which head upstream every year to spawn. Contending with habitat destruction due to pollution and the effects of the climate crisis, the survival of these fish is increasingly imperiled. Fortunately, art and activism have a way of bringing these urgent issues to light while also bridging local communities.

    Last weekend marked the inaugural Fish Migration Celebration organized by Riverkeeper, an outfit devoted to protecting and advocating for the health of the Hudson River watershed. Unmissable amid the festivities were a series of large-scale puppets by artist Greg Corbino, part of his ongoing sculpture-meets-performance series, Murmurations.

    2022 performance of “Murmurations” at the River to River Festival. Photo by Robin Michals

    Corbino designed a larger-than-life gold sturgeon to adorn a sailing ship that led a flotilla from Chelsea Pier in New York City up to Croton-on-Hudson, home of Hudson River Music Festival. Corbino’s papier-mâché marine creatures, ranging from oysters and sturgeon to a seahorse and a whale, performed their own migration, parading along the riverbank in both locations.

    The artist describes the collective performance as a “puppet poem of city and sea” and creates each work from plastic trash he removes from New York City waterways and beaches. Through partnerships with events like the Fish Migration Celebration and New York City’s River to River Festival, he aims to highlight the impacts of climate change and raise awareness of increasing plastic pollution in our oceans.

    See more of Corbino’s work on his site.

    Riverkeeper’s Fish Migration Celebration. Photo by Priya Shah

    Riverkeeper’s Fish Migration Celebration. Photo by Rhiannon Catalyst

    Riverkeeper’s Fish Migration Celebration. Photo by Priya Shah

    2022 performance of “Murmurations” at the River to River Festival. Photo by Robin Michals

    Riverkeeper’s Fish Migration Celebration. Photo courtesy of Riverkeeper

    2022 performance of “Murmurations” at the River to River Festival. Photo by Robin Michals

    Riverkeeper’s Fish Migration Celebration. Photo courtesy of Riverkeeper

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      in Art

      Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

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      “Reef.” Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation. All images courtesy of Josh Gluckstein, shared with permission

      Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

      September 24, 2024

      Art Nature

      Kate Mothes

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      For the past four years, London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has highlighted the potential of an everyday material—recycled cardboard—to bring animal sculptures to life (previously). In his most recent piece, “Reef,” he expands on individual portraits to create a meticulously detailed two-and-a-half-meter-tall marine habitat teeming with a variety of fish and coral.

      “I fell in love with scuba diving ten years ago and was amazed that there was an entirely new world to discover underwater,” Gluckstein says. “I wanted to bring that experience to life on dry land.”

      Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

      Gluckstein was invited to participate in Homo Faber 2024 in Venice, which this year traces the theme, “The Journey of Life.” Among the work of more than 400 artisans from around the world, “Reef” is Gluckstein’s most ambitious piece to date, featuring more than 50 different marine species.

      Sea turtles, an octopus, clown fish, and a blue spotted ray are among the creatures that swim around a column of coral. “The piece celebrates the wonder and rich biodiversity of our oceans, while raising awareness for the fragility of—and challenges facing—our marine life,” Gluckstein says.

      Homo Faber 2024 continues through September 30. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      You might also enjoy Ghost Net Collective’s marine animal sculptures made from the salvaged ocean waste that endangers them.

      Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

      Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

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    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Mysterious Marine Ecosystems Populate Rich Paintings by Robert Steven Connett

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      Art

      #animals
      #climate change
      #fish
      #nature
      #painting
      #plants

      January 27, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Devouring Star Jelly.” All images © Robert Steven Connett, shared with permission probes the ocean depths for
      Whether rendered as a snapshot of the ocean floor or a few drops of water under a microscope, the densely inhabited paintings by Robert Steven Connett (previously) are brimming with vitality. The Los Angeles-based artist probes the planet’s bodies of water, unveiling a range of flora and fauna that populate the mysterious and sometimes psychedelic ecosystems with exacting detail.
      From jellyfish and seaweed to microbes, the organisms memorialize Earth’s dwindling biodiversity. The onslaught of news concerning the climate crisis informs how Connett understands the urgency of his works—they evoke Ernst Haeckel’s illustrations but diverge from the German biologist’s drawings in color palette and foreboding elements—which serve as both earnest studies of aquatic creatures and  “a tribute to life as it was before the great extinctions began.”
      Even so, Connett shares that he focuses on the immense beauty and his curiosity about the natural world.  “I don’t want to sully the pictures I paint with death and ugliness,” he says. “I’m afraid the news of the real world will supply plenty of that.” He explains further:
      In the shadow of a withering planet, I create worlds that are lush and thriving. I hope my work can encourage and uplift those who are disheartened by the climate crisis. However, creating a memory of a time when our world was stable is not enough. We all must do everything we can to lessen the causes of the crisis.
      Original works, prints, and other products featuring Connett’s meticulous environments are available in his shop, and you can follow his latest projects on Instagram.

      “Hydroza”
      “Flower Mimic”
      “Sea Fauna”
      “Space Plankton”
      “Space Plankton 2”

      #animals
      #climate change
      #fish
      #nature
      #painting
      #plants

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