Shadow places and the public arts of extinction

Across the globe, artists are actively repairing the perceived separation between urban humans and nature by reimagining forgotten spaces and lost species. This chapter explores a series of artistic engagements with place and the extinction crisis, where the city serves as backdrop, inspiration, provocation, and platform for public dialogue. We argue that these creative interventions offer new ways to conceive urban spaces and expand possibilities for co-existence. Drawing on an analysis of public and street art projects across diverse media, we examine the interplay between permanence and ephemerality, and between local and global scales.