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I wanted my art to represent environmental issues, as environmental conservation is something I am passionate about. I did not originally have the intention of basing all my works on the topic of marine pollution, but once I began exploring this topic, I found myself incredibly engaged in the topic and my art. I chose these five pieces because of their unity in this issue.
My first work, “City Scene” is a collage of myself canoeing, and I would include it in my exhibition because of several semi-hidden images of different animals who are impacted by polluted waterways and urbanization.
My two 3-D pieces are independent from each other. The first, “Albatross” is an albatross chick, formed of white plastic bags, sitting in a plastic nest. This piece is representative of plastic’s impact on marine birds. “Pearls” is my other 3-D piece, made from a shadow box, plastic bags and clam shells. Though it is simple in its original viewing, it is meant to show how plastic impacts even the most simple of organisms we do not often think about. To bring balance to my exhibition, I would have placed these on either side of my central piece. Balance is important to represent, as water balances all life.
My photographic series, “Home and Away” documents plastic both in local spaces, as well as Bahamian beaches. I made the images of litter in my hometown small, gradually becoming larger to demonstrate how pollution seems like a small problem when local, but it grows in its significance when it reaches the oceans. I hoped to have these images suspended in the air so the viewer would not be able to ignore them.
My central piece, The Great Plastic Wave, is an appropriation of the famous Japanese painting, The Great Wave. This was an attempt to demonstrate the power plastic exudes in changing our oceans and landscapes. My artistic goal with this piece was to connect the viewer with an image of power, hence the size of this piece, which is why I would have this piece around eye-level and at the center of all my artwork.
In using plastic as a focus or material in my pieces, I hope the viewer sees plastic and other pollutants as something to be mindful about. Giving plastic a new purpose, even for art or education, can change its negative impact to a positive one.
City Scene
City Scene
“City Scene” is a collage of myself canoeing. This was inspired by the collages of Romare Bearden. I created this piece with the intention of the viewer looking closely at all of the elements. There are several semi-hidden images of different animals who are impacted by polluted waterways and urbanization, and my intention in including both the human and animals in this is to demonstrate how pollution in its many forms impacts everyone.
The Great Plastic Wave
The Great Plastic Wave
My central piece, The Great Plastic Wave, is an appropriation of the famous Japanese painting, The Great Wave. The size of this piece is meant to demonstrate the power plastic exudes in changing our oceans and landscapes. I was also inspired by Michelle Stitzlein, and her use of repurposed materials. By using plastic in my art, I try to give it a new purpose of education and serve as a reminder to keep nature in mind.
Albatross
Albatross
My first 3D piece depicts an albatross chick, formed of white plastic bags, sitting in a nest, also made of plastic and natural materials. This piece was inspired by Michelle Stitzlein and is representative of plastic’s impact on marine birds, how it has become both nest material and accidental food source, costing the chicks their lives. The chick lacks details such as eyes because I wanted it to seem distant and unreal, as many view the plastic problem. Unseen is not equal to nonexistent.
Pearls
Pearls
“Pearls” is my other 3D piece, made using a shadow box, plastic bags and real clam shells. Though it is simple in its original viewing, it is meant to show how plastic impacts even the simplest of organisms we do not often think about. This piece was inspired by Joseph Cornell. I appreciated the way he used everyday objects to construct further meaning, which is again why I chose to keep things simple, so the viewer would have their own understanding of plastic pollution.
Home And Away
Home And Away
My photographic series, done over two years, documents plastic pollution in my local metro parks and in the Bahamas. The first image shows a yellow plastic in a stream, the second image is a plastic bottle, caught in grass. The third image shows snails living on a clear plastic bag on the shore, and the final piece captures a beach scene, plastic bottle at its center, various litter behind it. The images grow in size to show how pollution starts small, becoming a big problem in the oceans.
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