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I developed works beginning in 2003 using recycled plastic
bags as the primary medium, “Blue River” was one of these
works using this medium. This work was a finalist in the 2003 Wynne
prize at the Art Gallery of NSW. These works signalled a slight
departure from my more recognizable assemblage works, in which I
used plastics and other detritus collected from the Eastern seaboard,
“Thong Totems” which won the Wynne Prize in 2000 is a
good example.
I am with this work, apart from wishing to express obvious environmental
messages, particularly interested in the brilliance of the colours
and textures available to me in working with this medium. I am constantly
surprised to see the variations in these plastics, very much like
how I am intrigued by the beach found objects I have collected over
the years.
I imagine these plastic bags, which mostly have a lifespan of many years, are in fact on the verge of extinction, as it is only
a matter of time before governments impose such strict deterrents
to people using them that they become a thing of the past. A fitting
end to what has become such a scourge to our environment on a worldwide
scale.
As a point of discussion, the Irish Government imposed a 10 cent
levy on the use of these bags some years ago and saw the consumption
of this product decrease by approximately 90% within a year, a reduction
of many billions of plastic bags per year!
Once again, I am able as a contemporary visual artist, to use these
recycled materials, to create artworks which I hope, express a certain
beauty as well as containing their oun unique environmental messages.
John Dahlsen. |
