Citizen Cane Toad
Year: 2024
Project Brief
Citizen Cane Toad is a screen-printed artwork that reimagines the cane toad as the subject of a police mugshot, turning the invasive species into a symbol of environmental crime. The piece includes a sign reading QLD Police Dept, pointing to Queensland as the frontline of the cane toad crisis. The date 08/08/1935 references the species’ introduction to Australia, while the prisoner number 200009476 signals the estimated 200 million cane toads now inhabiting the country. By framing the toad in this satirical yet critical format, the work draws attention to the devastating ecological impact of invasive species and invites viewers to reflect on the urgency of conservation efforts to protect Australia’s fragile ecosystems.
Process
The process for Citizen Cane Toad began with a detailed digital illustration of the cane toad, capturing its unique features and characteristics. After finalising the illustration, I broke it down into seven distinct colours and a black key layer, which formed the basis for the screen printing process. This division into layers ensured that each colour could be printed separately, allowing for a vibrant and dynamic representation of the toad.
Next came the printing process for Citizen Cane Toad, which involved several meticulous steps to bring the artwork to life. I began by applying a light-sensitive emulsion to a screen, carefully coating it to create a smooth surface for the design. Once the emulsion dried, I exposed the screen to UV light using one of the black positives, which contained the image of the toad. This exposure hardened the emulsion where the light hit, while the areas covered by the black positive remained soft, allowing me to wash them out with water.
This step revealed the stencil of the cane toad, ready for printing. I then applied ink to the screen and used a squeegee to push the ink through the mesh, transferring the image onto the paper beneath. I repeated this process for each color layer, ensuring that the alignment was precise to achieve a cohesive final image. Ultimately, I printed the design onto 30 sheets of paper, creating 30 unique editions, each capturing the vibrant colors and intricate details of the cane toad in its mugshot setting.
Outcomes
The outcome of Citizen Cane Toad included 30 screen-printed editions, with 10 prints in A2 size and 20 in A3. Each print captures the vivid layers and intricate detail of the original design, bringing awareness to the issue of invasive species through a bold and impactful visual.
