And then there were none…. is an invitation to consider population collapse and the possible demise of the human race.

 On becoming a grandmother recently, I have started wondering about the future for my little grandson. In particular, I am gravely concerned about statistics on declining global fertility rates. Articles have started appearing in the media about how this will affect future generations based on research highlighting significant social, environmental, economic and geopolitical challenges that could result.

The Total Fertility Rate is measured as the number of children per person who could give birth. It has steadily fallen from 4.84 in 1950 to 2.23 in 2021 with a rate of 1.59 forecast for 2100 – population replacement level is 2.1children.

There is a view that the planet could benefit from less people putting pressure on an already damaged environment. However, declining fertility means less bright young minds to help solve issues such as solutions for food security, for compromised health outcomes in low-income countries, or for improved education for women in these countries which gives them agency over their own bodies and access to contraception.This work graphically depicts global fertility decline from 1950 to 2100.

Materials used are a bronze mesh for the pregnant torsos – a link to the sculptural history of the human form; and individually flame-worked glass beads representing the fragility of life, as well as the unique nature of each human being with both the female and male gametes portrayed.