For World Animal Day (10/4), Sea Shepherd, the marine conservation nonprofit organization fighting to defend, conserve, and protect our oceans, is using human skin as a media space to remind us of extinct sea animals.
Our oceans are dying and we are responsible: dozens of marine animals have gone extinct due to pollution, poaching, and other human activity. It seems only fair that we give a bit of ourselves to raise awareness about this dramatic issue. To visualize this extinction, Sea Shepherd and the creative boutique Fred & Farid New York are using an original call to action based on the simple idea that a tattoo is a conversation starter. Sea Shepherd invites people who care about marine life to use their own skin as a medium to deliver a tribute to extinct species. One of the most asked questions when you discover a tattoo is what does it mean? Thus a tattoo becomes an educational tool to raise awareness.
Sea Shepherd collaborated with renowned tattoo artist Stephen Carballo out of Los Angeles to bring extinct marine animals back as a collection of tattoos called “Extinct Ink.”
“I think it’s a very good conversation starter, especially because they are not the typical animal that you will see as tattoos,” said Carballo.
As a call to action, the campaign starts with this video, imagined by Fred & Farid New York and directed by Josh Soskin. The video features individuals who already made this skin tribute commitment, offering an invitation to do the same.
Each tattoo portrayed, serves as a lifelong reminder of our responsibility to protect the oceans and the many species living in them today. “I like the idea of having something, if someone asks me the question about it, I can kind of give them some knowledge about what we have done basically to make these animals go extinct,” said Lex Ryan, who got the Javan lapwing tattooed on her biceps.
