HELLO! We are The Big Shark and we are building a big shark !!!
MANIFESTO The Big Shark initially came together with one aim – to build a big shark. We’re united by a sense of humour and had desire to have fun and make something really big. In choosing to remake the shark from Jaws, we found the shark to be an excellent conduit for exploring the themes of the film that engaged us, particularly ideas of capitalism and consumerism. Mayor Murray choosing to prioritise economic gain over human life when he keeps beaches open works as a strong metaphor for human greed and the capitalist system, not just in merica but in the entire modern world. The shark too can be regarded as a representation of the unstoppable force of capitalism, which we wanted to recontextualise and update for the growth in consumerism in the 40 years since the film. We have chosen to parody this in our remake by creating an interactive, immersive (literally – step inside) exhibition experience to engage visitors to look a little bit closer and consider their consumption habits. The big shark will be the debut of SHARKMART, a brand-new supermarket within the mouth of the shark peddling shark-based products. This gives us a chance to satirise consumer trends with reference to the characters, storylines and themes of the film, as well as comment on the continued use of shark and shark-derived ingredients in commercial products. Instagram: @thebigshark22 Twitter: @TheBigShark22
MEET THE SHARKMATES!! Hi I’m SharkMate Marcy and I have an accidental habit of always creating work around large aquatic creatures (whales, sharks, cruise ships, BUT NO DOLPHINS). Jaws is one of my alltime favourite films so making the big shark is really in my waters. I enjoy humorous brand creation and marketing which I did for our zine fair Zinezilla so its been fun to test out those skills again, and I hope I’ve made you laugh with all the vlogs and social media content I’ve made throughout the building of the shark! #wherespaul
Hi, I’m SharkMate Mereida, I love swimming and drawing everything water related. I’ve never made anything this big before but i dove in and its been insane in the best way! I also looooove supermarkets so making our very own SharkMart has been super fun and an indulgence in silliness. I designed the structure of the shark, made lots of products and spent far too many hours of my life cutting out stickers. Long live the Big Shark
Hello I’m SharkMate Suelyn, I mainly focus on digital concept art so getting to work on a physical structure is all new to me ! Making the shark was a whole new experience but my fellow sharkmates have helped me adjust very well. I have contributed to working on the overall structure as well as taking charge of making all of those spiky spiky shark teeth. I’ve also contributed to making some of our merchandise and keeping the mood light and cheeky >:)
Hiii I’m SharkMate Gabbie, I mainly enjoy doing black pen work and apparently also mouth/jaw art works; working on a big shark that’s filled with colourful products was really fun and a good change! I’ve contributed on the whole shark structure and made products and signs to go in our shop; also helping with some of the video content!! I haven’t made anything this BIGG before nor working with a team, it’s been super wonderful learning new skills and spending longgg hours on this project :3 GO BRUCETTA! Hello! I’m SharkMate Cordie, my usual forte is hyperrealistic painting and I’m really inspired by animals and nature. Though I am the resident sea life expert, this project has been completely new challenge for me. I’ve spent most of my time making products for the shop, and using clay and making the tooth necklaces was my favourite task, also the ‘sharkini’ came out very well. I also helped cutting the teeth and painting the shark.
MEET BRUCE
Meet Bruce. He is the 25-foot great white shark that terrorizes Amity Island in the 1975 film Jaws and was named after Steven Spielberg’s divorce lawyer. We have chosen Bruce as our artefact because we really really wanted to build a big shark, but also because he allows us to explore themes of the film that interest us. The shark as iconography is often used to represent nature at its most hostile, the apex predator, who is rapatious and insatiable - therefore an excellent symbol for capitalism. This image was created in part by the film itself, which introduced mass audiences to the potential (and very unlikely) threat posed by sharks. When people say they are afraid of sharks, they’re more likely speaking of a fear caused by the film than any real life experience. We want to tap into this fear, this reputation, while flipping it on its head and presenting the shark as victim of the very same capitalist system it represents. All the products (items that sharks are still overfished for to produce) and the whole ‘sharkmart’ consumer vibe are intended to satirise our consumer need while also commenting on the exploitation of sharks and theri unjust reputation as a result of Jaws.
Aside from remaking the shark itself, we’ve also used this as an opportunity to remake other imagery surrounding the film - many of our products spoof the iconic Jaws poster (which itself has been remade into oblivion), an excellent example of powerful design, as well as riffing on and referencing images and shots from the film itself.
PROPOSAL
Our proposal for taking the Big Shark out of the F-Block gallery and into the outside world would be to bring Bruce to his natural habit - the sea! This would fit with the beachy theme we’re going for and allow us to engage beachgoers and the general public in our satire on consumerism. For ease of access and plausibility we’d choose Weston-super-mare - also the site of our now-iconic team photoshoot - though with it’s nickname of weston-super-mud we’d have to probably build the shark slightly differently/more structrally sound (also he’d be dealing with some terrible weather so we’d go for plastic and latex coverings). He’d be impacful from farther away, and we’d emphasise the beached look of a dead shark, so only when people step close would the SharkMart and the true purpose/message of the shark reveal itself.
PROPOSAL
Another option would be to exhibit the shark at Bristol Aquarium and place Bruce among fishy friends, although this would likely change the themes and message of the installation. During our field trip to the aquarium (for research purposes, of course) we spoke to the staff about our project and they expressed a sincere interest in exhibiting it at the aquarium! They loved the idea of a big shark made of recycled materials, though their interest lies in raising awareness of ocean pollution, particularly the effect of plastics on sea life.
Our proposal for taking the Big Shark out of the F-Block gallery and into the outside world would be to bring Bruce to his natural habit - the sea!
This would be a really interesting challenge as we’d probably change up the inside of the mouth to something more fitting to the theme - an installation about plastic in the ocean, perhaps a coral reef made out of plastic rubbish, or something more specifically about the endangerment of sharks. There would also be the possibility to comment on the captivity of sharks in places such as aquariums - no aquarium in the world has thus far succeeded in keeping a great white alive, due to their size and the fact they are pelagic (must! keep! swimming!).
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BUT IS IT We feel our remake brings Bruce from Jaws into the field of illustration in that it condenses and crystallises specific themes from the film visually that engages audiences to think a certain way about something. While the installation may not immediately scream ‘illustration’ to visitors (probably something more along the lines of ‘crazy people made a lumpy shark’), we hope that seeing and experiencing (and being eaten by!) the shark prompts them to think about the manipulation of consumerism and the exploitation of nature for the gain of capitalism.
We wanted to do the SharkMart supermarket in part as it allows us to engage with illustration in a more traditional sense. This includes the process of designing logos, drawing product labels and coming up with visual brand identities, playing with different image-making methods and visual languages. But it also uses tools such as wit, metaphor and satire to highlight our themes, in a way that illustration has always done.
ILLUSTRATION ?!?
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