American artist Bob Partington created a wax sculpture of a Florida panther and her cub to display at a nonprofit zoo in Tampa, Florida this September.
When it debuted, the sculpture looked like nothing special. But as the wax began to melt under the heat of the sun, the bodies of the endangered species started to disintegrate. Within a couple days, the mother panther’s melting body revealed a simple message: “More heat, less wildlife.”
Together with the message, the sight of the melting panther is jarring. Partington’s work, created in partnership with the climate education nonprofit CLEO Institute, aimed to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on Florida’s wildlife. One of the regions most vulnerable to the climate crisis, Florida has suffered from record hurricane seasons, coastal flooding, rising temperatures, and biodiversity loss in recent years.
The panther sculpture debuted at ZooTampa on Friday to depict how the habitat of endangered species is affected. It is one of three installations being placed in different cities. Partington created the three wax sculptures, which were commissioned by Miami-based advertising agency Zubi. Each sculpture is meant to melt over a few days, slowly revealing a message about climate change. Wax was chosen to emphasize the increasing temperatures in Florida, Arditi-Rocha said. The first artwork was a wax sculpture of a lifeguard hut like the ones you see on Florida’s beaches. Installed in Miami, it represents Florida’s tourism industry and its quality of life.
While climate change is a global issue, the CLEO Institute is hoping that Floridians take a look at what they love about their state and work to save it.
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