EFA

George Boorujy

New York Pelagic (example), 2011. Glass bottle and pencil on paper

Courtesy of the artist and P.P.O.W. Gallery, New York, NY

New York Pelagic is a project, which aims to highlight our impact on the ocean and its wildlife. The project involves placing original drawings of pelagic (open ocean) birds in bottles and launching them into New York waterways. A questionnaire is included for the would-be recipient. Boorujy’s series brings attention to the vast amount of detritus constantly being tossed into the water.  Discarded plastic has a grave impact on oceans and animals, reflected in the health of pelagic birds that consume a lethal variety and quantity of man-made materials. These birds occupy expanses of oceanic space, but our lack of knowledge of these zones, the artist tells us, belies how much we affect them.