The following events are some of those that took place in honour of extinct and endangered species on and around Remembrance Day for Lost Species 2016. This is not an exhaustive list, and is still emerging. The events, which happened in many countries ranging from France to Tasmania, are documented in no particular order.
Sheffield saw a Wake for Lost Species with Abi Nielsen, folk singer Nancy Kerr, storyteller Tim Ralphs and musician Sarah Smout.
Deptford, London: Three Sheets to the Sea. Taking the theme of islands and seas, artists Liam Geary Baulch and Jules Varndoe took participants on a multi-sensory journey from the early evolutionary life of sea organisms, to our present condition, and onwards to a future of robotic sea dwellers. This was followed by a participatory workshop/ wake with shared food. Read more and see photos of the event here.
Crystal Palace Dinosaur Park, London: Artists Daniela Othieno and Allie K Stewart held a remembrance event amongst the dinosaurs. Read about it
here.
Primrose Hill, London: For Lost Species processed through the bitter cold carrying silhouettes of iconic lost species.
New Cross, London: Illustrator Gabi Gershuny and colleagues launched the new
Anthropo.cine cinema night in New Cross night to coincide with Remembrance Day for Lost Species.
Gabi also created a new body of work featuring chimerical beasts and the extinction symbol – see more
here.
Holkham, Norfolk: Artist and historian Camilla Schofield focused on a local extinction in the North Sea. The angel shark likes to hide at the bottom of the sea bed. The life of the angel shark in the North Sea is now gone due to trawl fishing. They were caught in trawls and thrown away, uneaten, to extinction. Camilla went to the angel sharks’ old home to remember and make promises to them.
Doncaster: In honour of Remembrance for Lost Species, Doncaster Museum held a competition to find a name for their quagga foal. In the end, she was named Charlotte.
New York: Vigil for violence awareness. Bibi Calderaro and colleagues held a four hour session on violence awareness in Union Square subway station. It was a mix between a vigil for lost species and raising awareness about violence against women and girls around the world – taking both as instances of violence and its extended ripple effects inside and outside (skins, borders, classes, categories, habitats…).
Berlin: Night of the Extinct Animals. Illustrator Jennie Ottilie Keppler and poet Mikael Vogel hosted a night of Remembrance poetry and art. Read the story and see more photos
here.
Gent, Belgium: Artist Rachel Porter led a group of pre-school children in an afternoon’s reflection and simple ritual in remembrance of the thylacine.
Madagascar: Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership marked the day with this beautiful poster:
Skagway, Alaska: Kim Burnham made and released an extinction raft on December 5th. “A few gulls and a lone seal were in attendance as high tide matched the setting sun. The official day of remembrance was on Nov 30th, but the south wind was not so cooperative that day, so we just read a eulogy, threw some dried flowers to the sea and decided to wait a few days for the north wind to arrive to help give our raft a push down the canal. It meant a lot to us to be able to share in this moment of collective grief. The hardest part was deciding which species’ names to include as representatives for the rest (scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, as we head into the 6th mass extinction).” See more photos
here.
Wirrawilla, Australia: Memorials for the Future Lost. Australian artists Gabrielle Stolp and Michelle Steward carried out an extended project highlighting the assault on old-growth highland rainforest in Victoria. It ended with a ceremony with the names of lost species read aloud, and poetry from John Kinsella.
Sankt Olof, Sweden: artists held a ceremony at Collective Joy Studios.
New South Wales, Australia: Byron Smith held a church service of Remembrance for Lost Species in Sydney.
Queensland, Australia: Community artist Julia Peddie held a memorial to the thylacine and the many extinct Australian species in Maleny.
Bozeman, Montana, USA: Megan Hollingsworth held a ceremony
108 Bell Rings – Joy Giving with Lost Species. Her poem
Toughie, made into a short film featuring Sherrell Biggerstaff Cuneo’s
Extinction Mourning Gown came from the day.
Dartmoor, Devon: A silent vigil by candlelight for
Remembrance Day for Lost Species on 30 Nov with
River Dart Wild Church. Participants brought and created poems, prayers, pictures and tokens to remember lost and endangered creatures. Donations were given to Devon Wildlife Trust’s ‘Homes For Bats’ Appeal.
Milton Keynes: Festive Road carnival puppetry and processional artists held a Parade of Animals featuring Harminder the giant elephant.
Oxford: Lantern-making, soup, fire, poems and ceremony at the Barracks Lane Community Garden.
UNFIX Festival, Glasgow: The Great Auk Collective made a live art performance creating the extinction symbol to the sound of lost birds.
Centre for Human Ecology, Glasgow: In an intimate sharing (or ceilidh in the traditional sense of the word) participants “shared poetry, readings, facts about extinct species and stories about wild animals who lived alongside us in our childhood memories but whose absence or rare sightings are notable in our adulthood. We spoke about encounters between humans and otherspecies, and the possibilities and limitations around becoming acquainted with different kinds of consciousness. We also discussed the possibility of erecting a Life Cairn in Glasgow in the run-up to Remembrance Day for Lost Species 2017. Watch this space!”
Maxwell Park, Glasgow: Spirits of the Dead: the disappearing lemurs of Madagascar. Artist Becky Anson organised a family-friendly tree climb for lost lemurs.
Shields Community Garden, Glasgow: Artist Roisin Lyle-Collins ran a workshop with young people during which they decorated a tree in Remembrance for Lost Species. “Together we time travelled, exploring truths of extin
ction in the Anthropocene, finishing by tying the tree with rags with the names and dates of 15 diverse extinct species from all over the world.” Roisin is in the process of creating an educational resource to be shared in 2017.
Dublin: Clarion Call for Climate aka film maker and composer Sinead Finegan made this film:
Maroroisia, Fiji: Artist Tessa Miller organised Remembrance Day student visits to Sigatoka sand dunes. Participants wrote affirmations on cloth turtle shells, pledging to cherish and protect this beautiful area, and all of the diverse creatures on land and sea and river that make it so special.
Suva, Fiji: Artist Anne O’Brien marked Remembrance Day in the market in Suva by sharing the story of the extinct lapitiguana with passersby and raising awareness of the threats to iguanas.
Brighton: ONCA Gallery hosted a remembrance procession for the thylacine.
Remembrance Day for Lost Species – ONCA @LostSpeciesDay from hyperoculus on Vimeo.
Brighton: Irish musician Cathy Davey and other artists paid tribute to the thylacine at ONCA in a night dedicated to its memory.
Hobart, Tasmania: Vigil at Beaumaris Zoo. At the site of the last thylacine’s death, participants held a meditation and made a small shrine of offerings from thylacine home ground, the Southwest Wilderness. Rocks, gum leaves, flowering tea-tree, button-grass, yabby claw, deciduous beech, banksia, and water from the ‘extinct’ Lake Pedder.
River Taff, Wales: The River Taff in South Wales has seen species lost and some re-gained. It has carried effluents of iron and steel works, power stations, coke ovens, sewers. Now it once again holds sea trout, salmon, otters and eels. It is a river mending. Artist Kate Knowles went for a gratitude swim on Remembrance Day for Lost Species.
Warwick: Warwick University GLOBUS students held a day of learning, reflection and talks with music and affirmations.
Finland: Musician Christine Cooper organised a collaborative, interactive performance-ritual to remember and mourn lost species, and to take stock of the changes our world is going through.
Merritt Island, Florida: In honour of Remembrance Day for Lost Species, Nancy Mitchell visited Merritt Island, where the now-extinct dusky seaside sparrow lived, and took this photo of a mounted specimen of one in the Visitor Information Center at the Refuge.
Wood Green, London: Year 7 students at Woodside High School made shadow puppets with artist Ellie Liddell Crewe from ONCA.
Kington, Hereford: Nigel and Tamara Rayment created Bean & Gone Beastro, a pop-up restaurant for Remembrance Day. Unfortunately, none of the menu items were available.
Penzance, Cornwall: Artist Tim Ridley and friends drew and discussed lost species.
Some writings published on or in response to the day: