carved into the sand, 'voice of the sea news' speaks for the sea which suffers in silence

tokyo-based artist toshihiko hosaka presents the colossal earthwork sculpture, ‘voice of the sea news.’ measuring 50 by 35 meters, the editorial is engraved into the sand of iioka beach in japan’s eastern chiba prefecture as a means of speaking on behalf of the sea which ‘suffers in silence.’ through the work, hosaka and his team emphasize that the lives of sea creatures are being taken at an overwhelming scale as the 8 million tons of plastic used globally each day are ultimately dumped into the rivers and oceans. nearly 700 species of animals including sea turtles, seabirds, seals, and fish are harmed and killed. the sand artist, together with a team of students and local residents, completed the earthwork in eleven days.

all images courtesy of seavoice newspaper

toshihiko hosaka’s sand sculpture editorial, which first calls out the devastating effects and overwhelming scale of plastic waste accumulating in the world’s oceans, continues: ‘the amount of plastic garbage is only continuing to rise. it is even said that if we continue on this course without taking any countermeasures, the amount of garbage in the sea will surpass the amount of fish. we japanese are also largely responsible. japan produces the second most garbage per person. in order to rectify this, we have to take a good hard look at what is happening in the ocean. we need to think about things we have been ignoring as a result of prioritizing economic growth, everyday convenience, and such. not throwing away garbage. reusing. raising your voice. continuing to think. it is clear what has to be done. the ocean has granted us so many blessings, and so much happiness. what can we give it in return?‘

toshihiko hosaka writes: ‘the sea does not speak. so, I will speak in its place.‘ 

initial drawings were laid out in a grid onto the beach

the transcription is precisely carved into the sand

the final work was produced in eleven days

‘the ocean has granted us so many blessings, and so much happiness. what can we give it in return?‘

project info:

project title: voice of the sea news

artist: toshihiko hosaka

collaborators: executive committee of the asahi sand sculpture art exhibition, local volunteers, and students

location: iioka beach, chiba prefecture, japan

completion:  2019