Stone-Ideas.com 
Stone structures in the oceans are zones full of life, be they coral reefs, slopes of underwater mountains or those boulders that environmentalists occasionally throw into the water off the coast to hinder fishing. The Danish artist group “Superflex”, together with KWY.studio, has now come up with an unusual vision on the subject of stones in the water: “As sea levels rise, it becomes important to consider how human construction will be used by fish in the future” they write provocatively.
The statement is only intended as an introduction to their train of thought, namely the idea of “developing a sculptural infrastructure that functions as art for humans and potential housing for fish.”
What the artists are trying to do is to initiate a general rethinking: that humans are not the crown of creation, but only a part of life on our planet, and that animals and plants also have a right to exist.
We have already reported on the “Interspecies Assembly” that Superflex and KWY.studio created for the Public Art Biennial in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (until April 30, 2025). The work in question now is the “Fish Cube,” which they have installed in the park of the Mosteriro de Tibães monastery in the city of Braga, Portugal. It houses numerous testimonies from the time of the Portuguese Empire.
The starting point was an ordinary cube made of Portuguese pink marble – for Superflex a symbol of the self-image of science: A cube is a fascinating object from a mathematical point of view, but largely uninteresting from the point of view of animals and plants.
That is why the artists cut this cube with a wire saw, not into perfect cubes or cuboids, but into elements with a rounded edge each. The right angle, the central element of human architecture, is not demonized, but trimmed a little.
The artists reassembled these individual parts, sometimes turning them, twisting them and letting them grow in many directions. The structure that was created can be found everywhere in nature, for example in the branches of trees, or in the meadow as bent grass stems.
The original surface of the cube was expanded in this way. In addition, gaps were added. If the viewer also imagines the water, he can easily see the fish, variously shaped aquatic animals such as corals and colorful plants.
The artists’ message is: “Fish Cube suggests that humans can start building with other species in mind, moving away from anthropocentric approaches and toward interspecies living.”
Photos: Adriano Ferreira Borges/INDEX
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