We are thrilled to announce that the major new sculpture, Salmon School, by Joseph Rossano has been installed in UN Blue Zone at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, and now hangs at the very core of the conference.

Salmon School is a stunning art installation of more than 300 hand-blown, glass-mirrored, life-sized salmon. Conceptualized by renowned artist Joseph Rossano, the artwork has been sculpted from molten glass by concerned artists from around the globe. It is an international, multimedia travelling art performance and exhibition to motivate communities to tackle the issues facing salmon populations.

Through the medium of art - and the science, technology, youth, and community at play - the installation proffers a clear, stark message to be globally transmitted: that our iconic wild salmon are on a path to extinction. The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are creating conditions that threaten their very existence in the wild. Salmon School is a physical manifestation of the human collaboration that is highlighting the urgent need for cold, clean water.

The salmon forms hover in space as a single sculpture, a mercurial spectacle evoking the secret hidden world of this elusive yet pivotal animal. Like a school of salmon, the sculpture is a singularity, moving as one, yet contains multitudes. Each of the separate abstract mirrored salmon forms reflect the viewer below, a reminder, showing us that we all have a part to play in addressing the challenge of global climate change and habitat destruction.

Speaking about the project, Joseph Rossano said “The sculpture is a mirror. It is born of industry, the raw materials of which were donated by people who care enough about the planet, to build this sculpture so that we can look into the mirror to look deeper into who we are to make changes. As an artist, a naturalist, and environmentalist, if I can bring somebody who is surrounded by an urban setting into a rural setting and have them understand why this other world is so important to their own – and we’re doing it through art, science, youth, and community that all becomes abundantly clear in the Salmon School space at COP26 - we will have done something great. The project is a microcosm of how we make a difference.”

Salmon are a key indicator for climate change, and what they must have to thrive – cold, clean, water – are what the planet needs to survive the climate crisis. Salmon School is intended to be an ambassador for the realisation. Presented for the first time in Europe, at COP26, Salmon School will connect delegates with specific initiatives around the world, educating young people, and energising leaders to take decisive action to save the salmon and prevent climate change.

We at Zambuni Communications are proud to have helped lead the project to COP26; to have worked with a network of global conservationists, and to continue to communicate the powerful stories surrounding salmon from all around the world. This story is in our DNA.

Here’s just one example of a piece we secured, that projects the story of Salmon School, now suspending at the heart of COP26: Cop26: six eco works popping up in Glasgow (and beyond) for the UN Climate Change Conference (theartnewspaper.com)

We welcome you to watch this short video surrounding Salmon School here:

Major sculptural intervention, ‘Salmon School’ is now present at the heart of COP26

An International Collaboration Centred on Salmon

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