Day of the Species 2024
Proud contributor to this environmental art project by Carmel Killin.
2003
as of Jan 2024
“When I first came across the national list of threatened species I could barely believe the number. More than 1,700. Page after page of names and categorisations. At some point I started to wonder what it would be like if you could actually SEE all of these species, together, in the one room. What a visual and emotional smack in the face it would be. More engaging than this dry government list of the doomed.“
Carmel Killin, Day of the Species
Well now you can see them all in the one room. All 2003 critters and plants, from cute to nondescript to alarming.
All are part of the fabric of life.
Some species are gone for good but there is so much left to love.
“Individual threatened species are hand-drawn onto the back of 3 x 7 cm recycled cardboard. That’s about half the size of a credit card. Tiny! Nothing in this exhibition is for sale.“
Carmel Killin
hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul,
and sings the tune without the words,
and never stops at all…
Emily Dickinson
The mukarrthippi / striated grasswren (Amytornis striatus striatus) may be Australia’s rarest bird and by some accident, I got to draw it. There are probably fewer than 20 of these ‘little birds of the spinifex’ left, though in heartening news a few more in separate locations have recently been discovered.
That’s the thing about drawing, you can’t help but learn about your subject. This can be fascinating. What an absolutely delightful creature, from the stripey feathering to nest building on the ground, to their bell like cheeping. What a horror that such a bird is in peril, one who lives so humbly and so far from where we like to chop everything down and build on top. Introduced predators are the culprit in this case.
How did I end up there? I’ve been pondering a lot over the past while about the role and specific ways art can contribute to make the world a better place for all. Following this train of thought, I discovered an exciting art meets activism project. It’s a shame we live in a world where a project like this exists, but given this is where we are, I think projects like this are needed. Projects that bring some life and energy to disasters happening ‘out there’ as pathways to become motivated and take action.
I wish I’d thought of doing this. Instead, I’ve joined in with three randomly assigned contributions.
naarm / melbourne
The exhibition will be held at the Black Spark Arts & Cultural Centre (126A Gladstone Ave) in Northcote, Melbourne, Victoria from Saturday 17th August to Sunday 8th September.
See all the artwork contributions from 270+ professional and enthusiast artists.
This 2024 edition, in partnership with the Wilderness Society, will include a range of community events and activities, to deepen engagement, learning and action for threatened species.
The closing night event will take place on Saturday 7th September which is National Threatened Species Day. A panel discussion on Nature laws that work: Protecting forests, ending extinction.
everywhere
Petition for stronger nature laws. I know, I know, email petitions aren’t my favourite way of prompting meaningful action either. You know what has more effect? A handwritten letter. That shows care. There is a sample letter at the link, which you can simply add your name to and email off to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek MP. Or you can edit this and email it off. Or for maximum effect, use this as a guide and write a handwritten letter and post it off.
Want to contribute to Day of the Species? New species are unfortunately always being added to the list. They occur randomly. Please follow Carmel’s IG account @dayofthespecies for updates and callouts.
long live the species!
Week by week the number of endangered species grows.
Extinction is a choice.
We get to turn this around.
