Treadgoldfish returns to Portsea roots for final year of plastic bottle recycling

Treadgoldfish returns to its Portsea roots for a final year of hard work saving the planet bottle by bottle.

Southsea-based artist Pete Codling is the sculptor behind Treadgoldfish, the much-loved bottle-collecting artwork now standing on the green beside Queen Street in Portsea which was emptied by volunteers yesterday (October 7) who collected thousands of plastic bottles.

With more than three decades of experience in sculpture, drawing and public art, Mr Codling creates work that connects people with the stories and identity of their surroundings. Treadgoldfish brings together his interests in community participation, reclaimed materials and the power of art to encourage public conversation.

Many residents will recognise the sculpture from Southsea seafront, where it spent several years collecting plastic bottles for recycling.

Originally commissioned for Portsmouth Seafood Festival at Gunwharf Quays in 2019, it was supported through crowdfunding, donations from local businesses and the public, and a match-funding grant from Portsmouth City Council.

With practical support from Colas Ltd, Treadgoldfish has helped recycle tens of thousands of plastic bottles since 2019. Its travels around Portsmouth have included the Guildhall steps, Hotwalls in Old Portsmouth and Portsmouth Cathedral, encouraging conversations about plastic pollution, recycling and our responsibility for the marine environment.

At its peak on the seafront beside The Briny restaurant, the sculpture held 12,000 plastic bottles. Illuminated by solar-powered lighting, it became a striking focus for conversations about climate change around the COP26 summit.

But Treadgoldfish is much more than a fish-shaped recycling bin. Its outline incorporates the star and crescent of Portsmouth’s city emblem, while its scales are formed from hundreds of smaller wire fish made with members of the local community in Portsea.

Treadgoldfish facts

• The sculpture takes its name from the Treadgold heritage site in Bishop Street, Portsea.
• Mr Codling built the entire work using scrap steel rescued from Treadgold’s metal stock before the building was renovated.
• Inside the hollow sculpture stands a life-size steel figure, its gaze fixed on a mobile phone.
• Referencing the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale, the figure adds a more unsettling dimension: a person absorbed in a screen while surrounded by the consequences of our throwaway culture.
• Treadgoldfish was originally conceived as a precursor to a permanent sculpture in bronze or stainless steel for Southsea seafront following completion of the sea defence works.
• The existing sculpture has a limited lifespan, with Mr Codling estimating it may have only another year of public use before retirement.