Introduction

What is appreciation? How about motivation? What is the intrinsic power that moves people to act of their own accord on topics that they feel strongly about. Why do they feel strongly about them? Art has the remarkable ability to communicate more than words to others, by what is it, specifically, about art that people find so moving? There are many characteristics of art that may point to the answer: physical engagement, visual appeal, medium, subject matter, and more. However, these alone cannot justify the mania that overtakes the art world; viewers must feel personally connected in order to engage strongly with a piece. How does the variance in personal experience and background affect the way that people view, interpret, and interact with art? This project dives into how the use of specific materials and form in connection with the artist's personal experiences with nature garners more empathy and understanding from an audience.

Literature Review

Inspiration for this work was found in a relatively recent ordeal. The effect that personal interpretation and experience has on a work can be seen by observing a mural done of Frederick Douglass in Easton, MD. Some say it reaches out to the youth while others say it is a disrespectful representation of a respected figure (Wise, 2023). This situation has worked to spark an inspiring question for this project: why did different people feel so strongly and in such a different way about one work?

In a broader sense, people have been making art that sparks engagement such as this all over the world. A particular piece of inspiration comes from Subodh Gupta’s work Nature Morte, a large-scale sculpture made of metal taking the form of a tree. The work has sparked engagement through its sheer size and unusual medium. One interpretation would be the ever growing use of metals and plastics that are taking over what used to be the wilderness. This beautiful depiction of nature in an unnatural manner is of great inspiration to this project. 

Work done with Clean up Australia with the artist Rox de Luca also posed a great inspiration through plastic waste art. De Luca uses the dissonance between the feelings given by appreciation for the beauty of art and horror associated with the sheer volume waste represented in order to "stimulate people to think about their attitude and behavior," (Hill, 2023).

This project is meant to share the artist’s personal bias towards the preservation of nature and spark conversation and awareness circulating around that idea. The interesting controversy of Frederick Douglass’ mural and the beautiful messages and designs from Subodh Gupta and Rox de Luca are all contributing elements to the final product of this presentation.

Methods

Pertaining to the modification and joining of PET plastics, the methods used in this project are derived from literature review of similar works and artists as well as experimental techniques. Some techniques used draw inspiration from Veronika Richterova’s work. In her PETG artworks, Richerova uses heat to melt plastic and warp it into more pleasing shapes as well as meld pieces together (Anastasi, 2020). Charles Biederman’s technique of using multiple layers of transparent plastics in order to create depth is also implemented in this project (Mustalish, 2004). Additionally, unique methods of using heat with a hairdryer and a small, butane blow torch have been developed in order to warp and meld repurposed plasti bottles into desirable shapes. 

Audience & Impact

The purpose of this project is to reach out to those with opposing upbringing compared to the artist: People more adept to urban lifestyles or people unfamiliar with life in rural or agrarian communities. It should allow them to appreciate this piece from the perspective of a person who has. The goal of this piece is to be able to share and allow these audience members to appreciate and think more about nature and plant-life from a new perspective. It also allows the artist to better reflect and appreciate their own upbringing from a more retrospective point of view.

References

Anastasi, Lucia. “Pet-Art: Turning Plastic Waste into Art.” Ecobnb, Ecobnb, 22 May 2020, ecobnb.com/blog/2019/06/pet-art-plastic-bottles/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPET%2Dart%E2%80%9D%20is%20how,into%20pieces%20of%20display%20art 

Hill, Alison. “Creating Art from Plastic Waste.” Clean Up Australia, Clean Up Australia, 24 Aug. 2023, www.cleanup.org.au/art-plastic-waste. 

Lad, Alisha. “Delhi’s Experimental Gallery Nature Morte Comes to Mumbai with Subodh Gupta’s Solo.” Architectural Digest India, Architectural Digest India, 26 Jan. 2024, www.architecturaldigest.in/story/delhis-experimental-gallery-nature-morte-comes-to-mumbai-with-subodh-guptas-solo-aparajita-jain-peter-nagy/. 

Mustalish, Rachel. “Modern Materials: Plastics: Essay: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Oct. 2004, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mome/hd_mome.htm 

Wise, Alana. “A Frederick Douglass Mural in His Hometown in Maryland Draws Some Divisions.” NPR, NPR, 21 Dec. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/12/21/1219768084/a-frederick-douglass-mural-in-his-hometown-in-maryland-draws-some-divisions. 

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to my parents, who have raised, supported and inspired me throughout this project. Thanks to my peers in Arts Scholars who have reviewed, edited, and supported me in my two years here and thanks to Harold and Heather for always supporting me and offering advice.