Scrimshaw 2.0

This work was inspired by the art of scrimshaw, a craft developed by whalers in the 18th century to pass the time and express themselves creatively. Scrimshaw artists would often take the teeth of whales they had captured and engrave a variety of images on them, including dramatic scenes of mariners cruelly hunting and killing these majestic sea creatures. This heartless practice is currently forbidden in most parts of the world. Nevertheless, how many other animals are being unnecessarily endangered by humans killing them to make profits off of products of questionable value and use? What if the roles were reversed with animals preying mercilessly on humans for their body parts? With that in mind I have created a large ceramic human tooth.

Depicted on the tooth are images of the use of animal parts in human’s lives: leather used for luxury bags, potions made from pangolin scales or rhinoceros’ horn, fishing lures & decorative clothing/jewelry made from bird feathers, bleeding of horseshoe crabs for pharmaceuticals and medical experiments, fur coats. Among the images, is a single strand of DNA to remind people that we are all part of this natural earth and are all connected in spirit and energy, and that we should respect all living creatures for our own good, as well as the good of the world.

This piece was accepted into a juries show at LexArts in 2024.