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Check Out This Artist’s Environmental Messages Engraved in Ocean Plastic

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Nicholas Vincent is a passionate environmentalist and freelance writer. He is deeply committed to promoting... Read More

In an innovative twist on traditional art, Duke Riley is creating a stir at the New Bedford Whaling Museum by integrating modern environmental concerns with the ancient craft of scrimshaw. Traditionally, scrimshaw involved sailors engraving intricate designs on whalebone, but Riley has replaced bone with discarded plastic, redefining this historic art form to reflect today’s ecological challenges.

Source: Brooklyn Museum/YouTube

The museum, renowned for holding the largest scrimshaw collection globally, including items like pie crimpers and canes, now features an unusual piece by Riley—a plastic bottle of engine coolant engraved with a scene of pollution. This artwork depicts a grim reality: a factory discharging waste into water, overshadowed by the haunting presence of local manufacturers known for their use of harmful polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These companies, Aerovox and Cornell Dubilier, are notorious for their past contributions to the Pollution in New Bedford Harbor, making Riley’s piece a poignant commentary on environmental degradation.

The plastic bottle is painted and waxed to mimic whalebone, blurring the lines between traditional and contemporary art. This artwork is strategically placed among historical scrimshaw pieces, casting them in a new light and emphasizing the ongoing narrative of human exploitation of nature for profit. The piece is not only a nod to the past but a stark reminder of the current challenges with plastic pollution in our oceans, underlining the transformation of ocean debris into as much a part of maritime environments as the organic materials once used by whalers.

Despite its clear departure from the traditional medium, Riley’s work maintains a connection to the heritage of scrimshaw. It’s crafted aboard a boat, reflecting the artist’s commitment to aligning with maritime traditions while living on a sailboat during the summer months. This setting provides him with daily inspiration and materials, as he also crafts fishing lures from various beachcombed plastics.

Riley’s inclusion in the Whaling Museum’s collection is more than an artistic endeavor; it’s an environmental statement. It demonstrates the potential of art to influence perception and provoke discussion about sustainability and Conservation. This plastic scrimshaw doesn’t just represent a shift in materials—it symbolizes a shift in consciousness, urging viewers to reconsider their impact on the planet’s oceans and wildlife.