‘The Critical Fish’ are excited to showcase new art and writing alongside research into sea life species. Our starting point is Gordon Young’s much loved Fish Trail round Hull - as inspiration for new creative work and critical enquiry.  

The trail was installed in 1992 as a tourist attraction and celebration of Hull’s fishing heritage. 33 years later we revisit Young’s ‘fish’ in the context of ecological crisis and the potential for art to highlight vulnerable habitats and species. Simply we wondered how each ‘fish’ is doing – are they threatened, thriving, or endangered?

Let there be peace
Let tears evaporate to form clouds, cleanse themselves
And fall into reservoirs of drinking water.
Let harsh memories burst into fireworks that melt
In the dark pupils of a child’s eyes
And disappear like shoals of silver darting fish,
And let the waves reach the shore with a

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

3rd and final verse of ‘Let there be Peace’ by Lemn Sissay