photo by Pedro Barros
A CAÇADA
THE HUNTING DEVICE
Art installation at the Maritime Museum of Sesimbra Summer 2021
CONTEXT
The Hunting Device is is a wake up call for the growing ocean pollution where fishing gear represents 85% of the marine garbage in the seabed and it is very difficult to recollect and dispose/recycle inland. Efforts need to be done in creating awareness for this reality, namely the fishing companies that produce most of this problem.
We organised a campaign with the fishing community in Sesimbra which lasted two years for the collection of over 150 fish-traps and additional fishing materials that were lost, damaged, unused or retrieved from the port seafloor.
Diving companies and Ocean clean up NGO joined forces with us and a clean up event at the port took place in order to specifically get more materials for the art installation we presented at the Maritime Museum, where all the community and visitors could watch first hand what was lying below sea level, just outside their front door by the sea.
To contextualize this garbage, we set up a 70 metres long hunting device simulation, a old traditional technique to hunt octopus and other marine animals, using the collected materials and put together with the help of an experienced local fisherman.
CONTENT
An outdoor installation at the Fortaleza de Santiago de Sesimbra using "ghost" fishing gear rescued from the surrounding seabed at Sesimbra bay, the fishing port recycling center and donations from the local fishermen community.
The installation is a simulation of a Octopus hunting trap set up, an old traditional fishing technique used all around Portugal.
It stars in a sequence of old traditional traps, the clay pots and the fishnets and cane cages, and evolves into an ascending pile of marine plastic debris, composed of plastic/metal fish-traps and other plastic fishing gear.
PROCESS
Campaign was initiated at the end of 2019 and had the logistics support of the traditional fishing association, the port management authority and the state owned support services for fishing DOCAPESCA.
Routine visits were made to the port and most of the fishing community, the diving centers and touristic nautical activities companies were approached and invited to participate.
A week before the set-up at the museum, a seafloor clean-up was organized by a Anthia Diving center and NGO Cascaisea for the purpose of this exhibition. 17 experienced divers and more than 30 volunteers help to recover over 90 fish-traps and over materials in a two hours joint effort at the pier.
After collection, all the materials were washed and prepared for transfer to the museum.
Xixa explaining how to make the knots for the suspension cables
An interview with the presentation of the project A CAÇADA at the Maritime Museum of Sesimbra.
Ângela and mestre Xixa, our 2MW fisherman collaborator talk about the activities for the construction of THE HUNTING DEVICE
Sesimbra Port clean-up action with Anthia diving centre and Cascaisea on 26 June 2021 report from Cascaisea official facebook site
An interview on national television for the garbage collection activities on the International Coastal Cleanup Day 2021 at Sesimbra port with Anthia diving and Miguel Lacerda from Cascaisea.
