A participatory installation restoring endangered aquatic animals with January Yoon Cho.

Ghost Tide to Living Waters is a participatory installation featuring 100 cutouts of endangered and threatened aquatic animals native to New York State, made from recycled cardboard boxes. This project is commissioned by Eco Arts Festival 2026 on Governors Island, presented by Artichoke Dance Company.

Audiences are invited to:

1. Catch an animal by walking through the installation.

2. Discover their animal at the worktable and learn about its habitat and story.

3. Create by coloring and decorating their catch.

4. Release the animal back into the “water” by rehanging it in the installation.

Through play, creativity, and learning, participants help bring these disappearing animals back to life.

Download the NYS Endangered and Threatened Aquatic Animals List (PDF) to explore the species featured in Ghost Tide to Living Waters.