ARTIST CREATES AMAZINGLY COLOURFUL 8 FOOT TALL CORAL REEF FROM OLD CARDBOARD

Josh Gluckstein is not like most of us who, after opening a package, tear down the cardboard box and throw it in the recycling. This London-based artist creates amazing wildlife sculptures using the material, turning the stiff brown paper into lions, gorillas, and giraffes. His most recent endeavour has been to finish his most ambitious project to date, which is an eight-foot-tall cardboard coral reef that is home to more than fifty different species of animals.

 Ten videos culminate in the grand reveal, which Gluckstein has been sharing on TikTok and Instagram throughout the entire creative process. The sculpture is a painstaking examination of life underwater, featuring everything from vibrant coral to enormous sea turtles, an octopus, and a spotted blue ray. The artist states that it "raises awareness for the fragility of and challenges facing our marine life while celebrating the wonder and rich biodiversity of our oceans."

Gluckstein, a former freelance prop maker, took on a new creative challenge when he created the sculpture for Homo Faber, a month-long exhibition in Venice honouring modern artisans. He used various kinds of cardboard to create the textures required for the reef. "I had to be really creative in order to create my coral reef. I made friends with the staff at my local supermarket and greengrocer to gather hundreds of fruit trays for the rocks and coloured cardboard for the bright colours of the fish," he says to My Modern Met. "The beauty of cardboard is that it's so ubiquitous—if you look around, you can find it anywhere." 

His videos provide an amazing look into his cardboard manipulation techniques. We observe as he moulds and shapes individual coral fragments, which come to life when applied to the reef and painted. The animals come next, which include an octopus, various fish, and eels. The sculpture takes on an immersive quality and becomes a 360-degree experience as each one is added to the reef.

It's hard to pick a favourite spot on the reef because it's so detailed, but Gluckstein has his pick. He admits, "The cardboard straw anemone and clown fish."

“I love the simplicity of the cardboard straws representing the anemone, and also the subtle message about the threat of plastic waste in the ocean and the difference we can make by making more sustainable choices.”

Now that his creation is en route to Venice, he hopes that his reef will serve as a reminder of the enchanted beauty of the ocean and as an example of the astounding creative potential of cardboard.

Gluckstein is giving 10% of the sales of this unique piece to Oceana, a nonprofit that works to preserve and restore the oceans worldwide, in honour of his dedication to ocean conservation.

You can watch his videos on how he created the incredible piece on TikTok.