FOOD GONE, LIFE LOST

Created for the GRAPHIS Designers for Humanity initiative, this project clarifies the direct relationship between human systems and ecological survival. African penguins rely almost entirely on sardines for food, and when industrial fishing removes that resource, starvation follows. Between 2004 and 2011, 95 percent of African penguins at two major colonies in South Africa died after their primary prey was fished to collapse, compounded by the impacts of the climate crisis. With populations declining by nearly 80 percent over the past 30 years, the project reduces a complex environmental issue to a single, undeniable dependency. By framing food loss as a design problem shaped by human decision making, the work emphasizes that protecting wildlife begins with how shared resources are managed. — Michael Pantuso