The Ghost Net Art Project
Ghost net art has proven to be a great vehicle for alerting the general public to the damage that ghost nets inflict on the marine environment.
Even before GhostNets Australia started working with indigenous rangers to clear Australia’s northern coastline of ghost nets, people were using them for diverse purposes. In various northern Australian indigenous communities you might see ghost nets being used as screens on verandahs, adorned with shells and glass or plastic floats, or as fencing for chook pens. Fishing and yam bags were made from pieces of net found washed up on beaches.
One thing that you wouldn’t see however was articles made of ghost net on display in museums and art galleries – an occurrence not so unusual these days.
Explore the thumbnails below to learn more about how this new exciting art genre evolved; the different styles and approaches with workshopping in various indigenous communities and how the art has been used to spread the word to the general public.
The Workshops
Having experienced fibre artists facilitating workshops in remote communities was the key to encouraging local artisans to take up the medium.
GhostNets Australia sponsored in excess of twenty ghost net art workshops over a period of four years, commencing in Aurukun in 2009. Locations were as widespread as Darnley Island in the east and South Goulburn Island, NT, in the west. As a result of these workshops indigenous ghost net art began appearing in galleries and art fairs around Australia.
