2021 Waste to Art Exhibition Guide
We are thrilled to showcase these works highlighting issues of waste, litter and overconsumption, and exploring how we can rethink, repurpose, reuse and repair.
Artworks are the creation of community members, artists, community groups and preschool groups from across the Lake Macquarie region. We are thankful to the artists for providing their considered and thought-provoking works for the exhibition.
Explore the artworks for yourself, and consider how we can change what we do to create a better world.
Artworks are the creation of community members, artists, community groups and preschool groups from across the Lake Macquarie region. We are thankful to the artists for providing their considered and thought-provoking works for the exhibition.
Explore the artworks for yourself, and consider how we can change what we do to create a better world.
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The 2021 Waste to Art exhibition engaged with 48 local artists and showcased 58 artworks across three locations.
Read the evaluation report here. |
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Britt Timmins
Dressed to Kill Non household recyclable plastic packaging, textile scrap, shoreline debris and acrylic paint. Not for sale On exhibition in Toronto Connect with Britt on Facebook The inspiration for this wearable artwork is from the fast fashion industry and the effect it is having on our environment.
I am an avid upcycler and upcycle mostly textile items actively trying to keep as many textile items out of landfill and extend their life for as long as possible. I was amazed when I learnt how much plastic is actually in the clothing we wear and the micro plastics just from washing our clothing that end up in our oceans, not to mention the plastics that are left behind after the organic fibres of our clothing decompose. |
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I am so grateful that I live in such a beautiful part of the world and everyday I get to gaze over the gorgeous Lake Macquarie. So I endeavoured to create a statement piece that took both the chronic problem with the fast fashion industry, and the beauty of our own backyard into account.
The dress is entirely made out of man made products and As your eye moves down the dress It begins to tell a story. The story represents our sky, flora & fauna, our lake surface followed by ruffle frills replicating our shore line and then to underwater displaying our lake bed and some living, dying and deceased creatures down there suffering due to human over consumption and waste.
No pattern was used for this garment, I started with a sketch and then cut the plastic to fit the mannequin just arranging pieces or changing parts as I went along.
The process to create this piece involved mostly layering and collage of plastic packaging.
I started with recycled plastic shopping bags for the structure of the dress, then ironed the plastic packaging on top to fuse them together and finally stitched. I then hand painted with acrylic paint over the top.
I loved this effect, when you look closely you can still see the package branding coming through the paint, holding true to the message of the piece but still giving the eye a more realistic feeling.
The lower skirt is made from 2 left over disposable “party” table cloths and the dress was lined and given volume with A curtain my mother was throwing out.
The dress is entirely made out of man made products and As your eye moves down the dress It begins to tell a story. The story represents our sky, flora & fauna, our lake surface followed by ruffle frills replicating our shore line and then to underwater displaying our lake bed and some living, dying and deceased creatures down there suffering due to human over consumption and waste.
No pattern was used for this garment, I started with a sketch and then cut the plastic to fit the mannequin just arranging pieces or changing parts as I went along.
The process to create this piece involved mostly layering and collage of plastic packaging.
I started with recycled plastic shopping bags for the structure of the dress, then ironed the plastic packaging on top to fuse them together and finally stitched. I then hand painted with acrylic paint over the top.
I loved this effect, when you look closely you can still see the package branding coming through the paint, holding true to the message of the piece but still giving the eye a more realistic feeling.
The lower skirt is made from 2 left over disposable “party” table cloths and the dress was lined and given volume with A curtain my mother was throwing out.
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The train is a mixture of larger scrap fabrics, large shredded plastic bags, left over table cloth scraps and bubble wrap.
All sorts of other waste was used to create details. like foam bean bag beads, a bath loofah, onion bags, postal packaging, faux flowers, aluminium can ring pulls and overlocking scraps from my sewing room. Much of the smaller waste came from lake Mac shore debris such a rope, net, a broken occy strap amongst other bits of weird rubber and plastics I found. It was honestly quite shocking when I started this journey to actually see what we throw away. Particularly for someone that considers themselves quite mindful of waste, participating in this exhibition has challenged me to find even more ways to reuse.
My aim is to convey that When there is beauty around you it is easy to ignore the things that are happening to our earth that you can not see. I look at this piece as a reminder, that even though some of these issues may be out of sight we have to be conscious that we keep them in mind. |
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Catherine Turner
East Coast West Coast Driftwood, rope from Council pickup, West Coast Cooler bottle necks Not for sale On exhibition in Charlestown I wanted to create an artwork completely from natural and waste materials as an eye-catching piece for my own home to remind me of my passions for the beach and preserving our beautiful world. The drift wood was found on Blacksmiths Beach in Lake Macquarie on the East Coast of Australia. The rope came from a council pick-up near my home and the green glass inserts are from West Coast Cooler bottles enjoyed by my husband and I. I worked on this piece during the August ‘21 Covid lockdown and didn’t want to finish it as I’d enjoyed the process of making it and seeing the macramé come together first on the back of my lounge and later (as it got longer) hanging on my bathroom door. I hope you enjoy contemplating this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it.
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Cherie Platen
Test Tube Flower Reclaimed laboratory test tubes and timber off cut $150 On exhibition at Toronto I was contacted when a University was about to demolish a Science Block and asked if I would like to take some glass rather than it going to landfill. Demolished Science Laboratory Test Tubes which I flame worked into a Flower and set into an off cut. The. timber is the off cut of the leg of a dining room which was being shortened. Timber is Qld Maple.
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Cherie Platen
Double Trouble
Borosilicate glass
$15 each
On exhibition at Toronto
Double Trouble
Borosilicate glass
$15 each
On exhibition at Toronto
Rods of Glass that were ex stock from a Science Laboratory. Commonly used to make swizzle sticks. Being double ended, they can be used as Honey Sticks for taking honey from a jar or the Leaf Design can be used a stirring spoon. Recommended to be used as a culinary tool only and not to be put in your mouth.
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Chris Marcar
Charlotte
Found wire, metal and eco dyed fabrics from 2nd hand clothing
Not for sale
On exhibition at Toronto
Charlotte
Found wire, metal and eco dyed fabrics from 2nd hand clothing
Not for sale
On exhibition at Toronto
Charlotte was constructed on found wire, metal and dressed with eco dyed fabric from 2nd hand clothing.
This work was inspired and mentored by artist, Clarissa Callesen. We are such a consumerist society, and I like the challenge of sculpting out of found objects, fibres and textiles, and altering them to suit the piece. My goal is to not only show what can be made but also make people smile when they see what materials have been used.
This work was inspired and mentored by artist, Clarissa Callesen. We are such a consumerist society, and I like the challenge of sculpting out of found objects, fibres and textiles, and altering them to suit the piece. My goal is to not only show what can be made but also make people smile when they see what materials have been used.
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Christine Douglass and Paul Gwan
HMAS Nautigal Chair collected from kerb-side pickup, MDF from back of old print and acrylic paint Not for sale On exhibition at Swansea |
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Christine Douglass
Mother Earth (after the fires)
Re-used canvas, lace from old blouse, artificial flowers found in garbage at cemetery, acrylic paint, old paper mache mask
Not for sale
On exhibition in Swansea
Mother Earth (after the fires)
Re-used canvas, lace from old blouse, artificial flowers found in garbage at cemetery, acrylic paint, old paper mache mask
Not for sale
On exhibition in Swansea
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Mother Earth - After the Fires
A sombre palate, the colour near black As the Earth is destroyed in a great fire attack See Mother Earth cry, view the tears on her face The land once had beauty, now shown as old lace The paths of our Ancients, are dots as set down On the soil of our Earth which emerges as brown The days are much hotter, the soil now more dry The creates are dying, as Mother Earth cries But out of darkness comes new life and promise Rain brings new growth and hope comes upon us And so like the butterfly, change brings with it splendour The trees now give beauty where they once were an ember The leaves now emerge from the bush once burnt black The wildflowers will grow through the soil and a crack So respect Mother Earth for these are her lands The bush, the trees and creatures, it's now in our hands By Chris Douglass |
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Claire Mitchell
Plight of the Shearwater Beach glass, fishing line hooks and bones On exhibition in Swansea My work is based on the shearwater bird's migration from the Antarctic to their breeding grounds off the south-eastern coast of Australia, and reflects how climate change, pollution and over fishing is decimating their species. I was alarmed to find hundreds of carcases washed up on Stockton beach - the Shearwater birds were way off course. I found the remains of the Shearwater wrapped in fishing line and plastics while strolling along Stockton beach. The glass was also collected from Stockton beach.
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Diana Boyd
Time to Breathe Discarded cedar vertical blinds, denim jeans, communication wire, leather offcuts, timber angle and upcycled building material. SOLD On exhibition in Charlestown Connect with Diana on Instagram My artwork is an aerial view of a deserted beach, the work is inspired by the beautiful lake and beaches of Lake Macquarie. With the current situation of the Covid lockdown I feel this has given the area a chance to breathe. It’s quieter and less touched, less populated and surprisingly, it seems there is less rubbish being left around and washing up on the shoreline. I like the tranquility very much.
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Dianne Powell
Captain Thunderbolt Acrylics on an old piece of corrugated iron Not for sale On exhibition in Toronto Also known as Fred Ward, a famous bushranger, who roamed the New England area. He was a childhood 'hero'. I had the piece of corrugated iron in a stash for years, not sure where it originated now, but I had an idea after seeing an exhibition in Broken Hill, by Sydney artist Justine Muller, who had painted the townspeople of Wilcannia on iron for 'Barka, The Forgotten River' or the Darling River. The initial drawing was a rough sketch that came from my head. The artwork was composed at Yara Balba Art Studio at Mandalong under the tutelage of Margrete Erling. I decided to add the real leather and brass buckle to add interest and texture.
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Gabrielle Clappison
Nourish Preloved woollen blanket, off cuts from a leather jacket, odd cutlery pieces and gifts from nature all contributed to create this cutlery roll. $45 On exhibition in Charlestown Connect with Gabrielle on Instagram Our natural environment is paramount to me, we must stop throwing things away as there is no away it’s placed somewhere, nature nurtures us and is our medicine. As a child I spent as much time as possible out on Awabakal Country, investigating, playing and collecting naturally fallen gifts from Country. When I finally had to return to the house I would see my Mother creating beautiful clothes from new and repurposed fabrics for her, friends and our family.
This has been my inspiration for my creations. I have a love of all things natural, fibres and nature, after many years of dyeing and creating, I came across Eco Dyeing and have enjoyed bringing these two passions together. |
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I create individual designs of nature which are sourced from naturally gifted vegetation and sustainable clippings. A light environmental footprint is ensured through each process of collecting leaves, bark and plant materials. Placing the vegetation on the wool, I rolled and wrapped it tightly ready to ‘cook’ the botanical materials into the fabric via steaming.
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Gary Boote
Cheese board / chopping board High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) recycle No.2 milk bottles and caps $20 On exhibition in Charlestown Gary Boote Sculptor website I have been making these works from High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) recycle No.2 milk bottles and caps. The HDPE plastic is cut up and placed in a sandwich toaster and melted at approx. 180 C. Which softens the HDPE but does not melt and give off noxious fumes. The HDPE is then placed in a mould and compressed with weights or a hydraulic car jack until cool. HDPE can be worked on with any carpenters tools.
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Gary Boote
Striking a Blow for Waste to Art
High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) recycle No.2 milk bottles and caps
$100
On exhibition in Charlestown
Striking a Blow for Waste to Art
High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) recycle No.2 milk bottles and caps
$100
On exhibition in Charlestown
Gary Boote
Mallets
High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) recycle No.2 milk bottles and caps
$20 each
On exhibition in Charlestown
Mallets
High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) recycle No.2 milk bottles and caps
$20 each
On exhibition in Charlestown
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Jaden Auchterlonie
Persephone Gown Skirt made from scrap satin fabric. Bodice/Breastplate made with wire, cardboard and scrap fabric $250 On exhibition in Toronto Piece is inspired by ancient Greek statues. Made using scrap materials
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Jeannie Lawson
Regret Plastic litter (water bottle top that has been run over by a car) on painted canvas with paper Not for sale On exhibition in Toronto This work was created to highlight how plastic pollution could be regarded by a sentient Earth. The shape of the piece of plastic litter inspired the design of an eye.
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Jo Bevan
Scraps so beautiful Textile scraps including smaller, unstitchable trimmings, fabric selvedges and years of saved thread trimmings. $150 On exhibition in Charlestown Connect with Jo on Instagram Made with offcuts from my quilt making practice. Trapunto-style raised freeform piecework in commercial patchwork fabrics, stuffed with thread and seam trim offcuts, stab-quilted. Appliqued to a strip-pieced background made in offcuts from an Indonesian fabric factory, which in turn were offcuts of my quilt making process. Set on, and backed with, larger offcuts and then directional quilted. Edged and partly bound with selvedge offcuts from patchwork fabrics.
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A small quilt re imagining into an art form the reuse of textile scraps from my own quilt-making process. Fully hand-stitched, intricately pieced using tiny off cuts, some less than a centimetre wide. Smaller, unstitchable trimmings and years of saved thread trimmings to be used in the inner wadding layer of the quilt. Side edges left raw exposing the innards of the quilt which are usually unseen, top and bottom edges bound with commercial fabric selvedges which are usually thrown away. To be mounted in a recycled trinket box, or similar reinvented scrapheap find.
Inspired by the waste-not-want-not approach of quilt-making heritage, where warm bed coverings were made from whatever was on hand, in contrast with the waste created by many modern techniques of the craft industry, including quilt-making techniques. Also inspired by using textile as a medium of geometric/abstracted art image making.
Inspired by the waste-not-want-not approach of quilt-making heritage, where warm bed coverings were made from whatever was on hand, in contrast with the waste created by many modern techniques of the craft industry, including quilt-making techniques. Also inspired by using textile as a medium of geometric/abstracted art image making.
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Jodie Buttel
White wash Discarded building site materials including paving sand, aluminium kickboard off cut, plantation shutter shavings, packaging, gap filler, and paint on repurposed canvas. Price on application - please contact artist On exhibition in Charlestown |
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I have titled this piece “white wash” to relate to the concealing of truth regarding manmade environmental pollution, which frequently ends up in our waterways. My work features discarded building site materials which is often carelessly shoved down drain pipes in new builds or washed or blown in to storm water drains. I have used aluminium kick board off cuts, shavings from plantation shutters, gap filler, excess paving sand, packaging, and unused paint in the work. These items, when discarded carelessly, pollute our animals, our country and our waterways, in turn, polluting us. White wash depicts the crash of a wave that can evoke responsibility within us. It signifies the change in tide we need to save our planet – all of us, together.
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Judy Quintal
Waste not - Recycled textiles Door mat, Trivets, Table Runners Worn out household linen, clothing and fabric leftover from sewing projects Not for sale On exhibition in Swansea Over the years, our family has enthusiastically embraced ‘The Three R’s ‘- RECYCLE, REDUCE, & REUSE as a framework for waste reduction, and we are well supported by government and community programmes. Lake Macquarie Council is certainly very committed to these environmental principles and we are encouraged and supported to play our part. Reducing textile waste is the focus of my Waste to Art project. Australians send an average of 23kgs of textiles to landfill per person, each year according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Three R’s can and should be applied to this problem. Worn out household linen, clothing and fabric leftover from sewing projects can be recycled through a simple weaving process into trivets, placemats, table runners and door mats. It is very satisfying to the see such waste transformed into my HomeArt: beautifully textured and colourful items to decorate my home. The items on display demonstrate that threads can live on.
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Kay Pittelkow
Various works created from soft drink bottles, transformed by cutting and piercing with heat. See individual item prices On exhibition in Toronto Studio KY website I am a local artisan from Wangi Wangi on Lake Macquarie. Under the banner of “StudioKY”, I hand craft sculpture, jewellery, and homewares for sale at local markets and my website, www.studioky.com.au. We start from scratch – blending our colours, shaping our beads to meet our own design criteria.
When I first entered “Waste to Art” in 2019, there was very little available on the internet of quality recycled pieces – art or jewelry- so my “start from scratch” was the only place to start.
To fulfil the aim of exhibition I needed to transform trash into art or at least something useful. I also wanted to empower others to create something that gives pleasure from something that was destined for landfill. Since then, my skills and knowledge have increased manifold and I get a big kick out of how people can walk pass my stall, suddenly stop and backtrack with this stunned look on their faces when they realise that what they were looking at used to be a soft drink bottle. Some people react to my bottle work with amazement when they realise that that fragile glass vase is actually a plastic soft drink bottle. Others are transported back to when they last saw the pattern – broderie anglaise on a blouse, an aboriginal dot painting in a museum or the wing of a butterfly in flight. Others are just delighted with the creativity of turning junk into something beautiful.
I don’t have a standardized approach to this work – I do start with an idea of what I want to achieve but I essentially, I work freeform, letting my experience, the tools and the material shape the result. I look back to the work I have done and ask myself, what worked and in what context and will it work in this piece.
Bottle jewelry is easily created from discarded (and cleaned) soft drink bottles by cutting, piercing with a soldering iron, or deforming over a simple heat source such as a tea candle. Some soft drink (pop) bottles are coloured but we also add colour with alcohol inks or acrylic paints. Alcohol inks can fade over time but can be quickly refreshed or the piece re-invented using a Sharpie (alcohol pen) or similar. They should not be cleaned with an alcohol based sanitiser but other than that they are very robust and very light. There is a great deal of joy in turning a hard edge product like soft drink bottle into a soft organic shape, in turning a featureless surface into lace. Try it yourself.
Green Perrier bottle necklace
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting rough circles, lacing the edges with a soldering iron followed by stringing using silver plated separators.
$80
Yellow brooch
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting, piercing with heat, deforming over the heat of a tea candle. Brooch fitting and different layers joined with jewellery wire.
$20
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Butterfly/dragonfly
$15 each
Vase 003
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting and piercing with heat.
$20
Clear organic earring with black accents.
Black seed beads and faux pearl bead added for interest. Stainless steel ear fitting.
$15
Red and black organic shape earring
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting and piercing with heat. Sterling silver ear fitting. Colour introduced with alcohol inks.
$20
Clear with red accents - earring
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting and deforming with heat. Stainless steel earing fitting and reclaimed red seed beads.
$15
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Green brooch with leaves.
To remove lower layer of “leaves” is easy – just open the fitting and manipulate the leaves.
$25
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Vase 002
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting and piercing with heat.
$20
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Large freeform “focus” bottle Necklace
Shapes cut from soft drink bottle and transformed by cutting and piercing with heat. The shapes are then joined with stainless steel “O” rings.
$30
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Long disc Necklace
Disc like shapes cut from soft drink bottles, deformed with heat from a tea candle, edged with colour from a Sharpie (alcohol) pen and then strung with recycled seed beads.
$80
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Vase 001
Soft drink bottle transformed by cutting and piercing with heat.
$20
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Small Bottle Necklace
Shapes cut from a soft drink bottle and transformed by cutting and piercing with heat. The shapes are then joined with stainless steel “O” rings.
$30
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Kirrily Anderson
The Hive Bee-tel Paper – date sensitive fliers, Tin cans, Toilet paper rolls, Chicken crimpy box (cardboard box) Not for sale The inspiration for this Waste to Art creation was provided by Lake Mac STEAM week brochures that arrived from the printers on the day we were advised ‘lockdown’ was to start at 5pm. STEAM week was then postpone making date-sensitive brochures obsolete. The theme for STEAM week was Bees, Honey and Pollination – designed to highlight the importance of bees to our environment through series of activities including a ‘build your own bee hotel’ workshop. Strongly holding onto the theory everything has a second use, this artwork aims to give this obsolete material a second life AND a chance to share the same important message.
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Liora Berry, age 10
Wasted Life
Used bottles and cans from the garage, bits of paper, plastic wrapping and other rubbish
Not for sale
On exhibition in Charlestown
Wasted Life
Used bottles and cans from the garage, bits of paper, plastic wrapping and other rubbish
Not for sale
On exhibition in Charlestown
"I have always been very interested in art and I am passionate about the environment. I enjoy dancing, family camping trips and art. My artwork is about rubbish taking over the things in the world. By the time everything becomes rubbish it is too late. My artwork centres around a tree with a pond in a park with fish and birds all created from waste."
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Mardi Lee
Calamities of Consumption Wood panel from furniture, textile and sewing waste (denim jeans, embroidery thread, macrame rope offcuts, buttons, bra wire), marine debris, bread ties, old upholstery tacks, copper wire from electrical cord Available for sale - enquiries taken On exhibition in Toronto Connect with Mardi on Instagram or Facebook A ridiculously high 85% of discarded plastics go to Australian landfills. These are not just single-use plastics, but plastics of every kind. This big statistic is in the 2020 National Waste report and brought the reality of plastic waste closer to home.
Another crazy high stat. is 93% of textiles go to waste. In combination with the majority of clothing being made from nylon, polyester, and acrylic - which are all types of plastic- this makes resource recovery and viable recycling impossible. For now. We need to think differently about our waste. Using these two wasted and easy-to-access resources, I've created a piece that contrasts the calamities of consumption with the calmness of our natural environment. My piece is influenced by the intricacies of the ocean and beaches in my backyard. Unfortunately, the plastic pieces are slowly impacting the teeniest of sea creatures, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. Waste and pollution become disguised as a bluebottle or jellyfish to the animals that eat them. In addition, increasing acidification and water temperatures affect the health of seaweed.
Blue represents the sky and the sea. Blue is a strong colour element for me, as blue denim is my favoured comfort clothing. The Australian sky's intense blueness is also a hallmark in my catalogue of photos. White helps to highlight the awareness and intensity of waste. My hope is for us not to create waste in the first place. Guided by understanding the impacts of our consumption, we will gain the strength to know what we really need and want. |
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Blue Bottle - The common Blue bottle floats in the water with a body made from UV and ocean affected plastic. The ocean current swirls the corded tentacles towards the shore.
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Beach Scene - White plastic umbrellas with strong bra-wire shafts are pitched in the sand against a cloudless blue sky and a series of low tide sets.
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Seaweed - A string of Neptune’s Necklace - coined as the popping seaweed in our family - is ready to pop, made from craft beads.
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Jellyfish - A triangular piece of white plastic sewn onto denim. Flexible wire bread ties for floating tentacles.
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Martina Carney
Nobbys Secret
Framed photograph
$95
On exhibition in Toronto
Connect with Martina on Instagram or Facebook
Nobbys Secret
Framed photograph
$95
On exhibition in Toronto
Connect with Martina on Instagram or Facebook
Pandemic pollution
Disposable masks not only cause enormous plastic waste but also harm to our precious wildlife and oceans. I have read many articles and the info is just shocking. I have started an art series to demonstrate the dangers just to make people a little more aware about it. The first artwork of the series is Nobbys Secret.
I wanted to showcase that problem which sometimes can't necessarily be seen straight away but is basically right at our door steps. There are hundreds of beautiful photos showcasing Nobbys Beach (I have taken hundreds of photos at this beautiful landmark as well) but I wanted to create something eye opening. On purpose I have chosen this spot as so many people / Novocastrians can relate to it. Lots of people spend their leisure time at exactly that spot not realising how current this issue really is.
Disposable masks not only cause enormous plastic waste but also harm to our precious wildlife and oceans. I have read many articles and the info is just shocking. I have started an art series to demonstrate the dangers just to make people a little more aware about it. The first artwork of the series is Nobbys Secret.
I wanted to showcase that problem which sometimes can't necessarily be seen straight away but is basically right at our door steps. There are hundreds of beautiful photos showcasing Nobbys Beach (I have taken hundreds of photos at this beautiful landmark as well) but I wanted to create something eye opening. On purpose I have chosen this spot as so many people / Novocastrians can relate to it. Lots of people spend their leisure time at exactly that spot not realising how current this issue really is.
Martina is a self-taught photo artist based at Lake Macquarie. Her biggest inspiration is mother nature, animals, the beautiful beaches we are surrounded by, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
Taking advantage of the digital time made it very easy for her to combine skills to mix both classic paintings and photography using bold and bright colours. With every photo shoot she tries to push her digital fine art to the next level. In her art you will find lots of nature combined with a modern twist and also lots of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie themed art photographs sprinkled with a little bit of magic. Her unique style makes her wall art stand out and a guaranteed talking point.
Taking advantage of the digital time made it very easy for her to combine skills to mix both classic paintings and photography using bold and bright colours. With every photo shoot she tries to push her digital fine art to the next level. In her art you will find lots of nature combined with a modern twist and also lots of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie themed art photographs sprinkled with a little bit of magic. Her unique style makes her wall art stand out and a guaranteed talking point.
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Matrika Crockett-Keen
Stuck Stickers found in a bulk office waste bin See individual item prices On exhibition in Charlestown While I was recovering from laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, I was given a large stack of stickers that had been found in an office bulk waste bin. Initially I was playing with the stickers for the tactile experience, but then discovered that I could create webs by folding the stickers and attaching them together, this naturally evolved into 3D objects. For me the pieces reflect the time spent recovering.
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Stuck - Collection
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Stuck
Not for sale
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Stuck
3D
$150
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Stuck - Flat piece - $100
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Stuck - Single ball - $60
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Pelican Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group
Sea glass houses The frames were collected from a street clean up. The sea glass has been years of collecting from all over Australia and some coastal areas of Italy, the Flores Islands and Bali. Not for sale On exhibition in Swansea Connect with the Pelican Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group on Facebook |
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Susana Belen
Just Take Them, Honey Discarded contraceptive pills packaging and magazine cuts on paper $100 On exhibition in Charlestown Discarding contraceptive pills packaging every single month is a common practice for a big amount of women. One day I just decided to take the packaging to my studio and make a work of art which criticize our monthly ritual in different perspectives.
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Susana Belen
Discharged Cardboard, a liner and magazine cuts on paper $90 On exhibition in Charlestown I made this work with a liner, so I took the words discharge (like in vaginal discharge) and "discharged" as a way of liberation of ourselves as women from the shame of our fluids. And also, as a call for less use of disposable pads.
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Sustainable Play Preschool. Hudson, Anushka, Atlas, Ivy, Rosa, Saige and Willow
Twilight ocean sea zone
Salvaged plywood, paper packaging, ribbon rolls, tetra paks, bubble wrap, recycled rope and bottle cap stampers.
Not for sale
On exhibition in Charlestown
Connect with Sustainable Play Preschool website
Twilight ocean sea zone
Salvaged plywood, paper packaging, ribbon rolls, tetra paks, bubble wrap, recycled rope and bottle cap stampers.
Not for sale
On exhibition in Charlestown
Connect with Sustainable Play Preschool website
Inspired by world oceans day in June and working towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 'life below water' the children have created a clean ocean using recycled materials.
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Szuzsy Timar
Tea for one Used nylon tea bags, plumbing section, scrap mesh, plastic bottle $145 each On exhibition in Charlestown Connect with Szuzsy on Instagram I have a background in contemporary jewellery, having trained at the institution previously known as The Canberra School of Arts'. My training involved both the use of precious and non-precious materials. I now focus mainly on the non precious. My reason for switching to up cycling as a means of making is not uncommon, but does provide me with a satisfying feeling of applying my skills to the present day sensitive issues regarding waste.
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I am also of the generation that inherited the concept of re using everything to its end degree. I also find that converting waste provides a serious challenge to think laterally in trying to combine materials into something again of worth. To then combine them somehow into a wearable object - mostly.
The finished item to be worn is intended to express that the most mundane or obsolete materials can be made into something that both expresses a concern for the waste found in our environment, and that it can also be made into something again of value and interest. The greater value may be in the concept, the notion of saving waste from landfill or entering the ocean. At the very least something that is unique, simply interesting and far from mass produced.
The finished item to be worn is intended to express that the most mundane or obsolete materials can be made into something that both expresses a concern for the waste found in our environment, and that it can also be made into something again of value and interest. The greater value may be in the concept, the notion of saving waste from landfill or entering the ocean. At the very least something that is unique, simply interesting and far from mass produced.
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Tracie Axton
Cellular Collar
Found plastics
$200
On exhibition in Toronto
Connect with Tracie on Instagram
Cellular Collar
Found plastics
$200
On exhibition in Toronto
Connect with Tracie on Instagram
As I collected discarded plastics and rubbish along the shoreline, I began to contemplate the detrimental impact these plastics have on our oceans. The process of washing and separating the plastics is calming yet concerning. I then transformed the plastics into cells to represent the anomalies that are present in marine life and the oceans, to create the collar. My hope is to form a bridge between the arts and sustainability — a bridge whereby the creative process can offer us new methods in approaching the environmental crisis and offer the possibilities for the beautiful life at the core of everyone’s desire.
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Tracy Novello
The Awaba Express introduces: ‘ Le DANSE (with apologies to Matisse) ‘ Starring Spangled Drongo and the Odd Bods’ Old clothing , foraged thrown out fabrics, miscellaneous odds and ends destined for landfill. Recycled frame. Not for sale On exhibition in Swansea These Odd Bods are not for sale, but they can be made on request - contact Tracy. My Artwork is a composition of dancing, soft sculptures ,handsewn from recycled fabrics , mounted on a recycled painting frame with inspiration and reference to the joyful work by Matisse “Le Danse”. The Dance troupe are “The Spangled Drongo and the Odd Bods”. All materials used were destined for landfill , and each one was handsewn and created as a soft sculpture, making art out of waste.
At each Council Clean up there are always bags full of old clothes which are on their way to becoming landfill. The tip at Awaba is a strange surreal ,not of this world kind of place ,I wondered what impish creatures might live there. |
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I imagined strange ,quirky little creatures scurrying over the mounds of landfill refuse, pulling odd bits and pieces together, finding broken treasures from household rubbish , making new selves from the old , discarded every-day things. I thought they would be oddly formed, roughly held together with odds and ends, dancing joyously like little landfill elves, with lopsided faces, clothes which aren’t quite right, accessories made from oddments, , buttons , ribbons and broken jewellery pieces.
The Odd Bods were born.
Each ‘Odd Bod ‘grew organically in response to the materials at hand and each one grew in character as they were made. They started off as a freehand drawn, amorphous shape on recycled old clothes and linens, cut out, then handsewn together.
I made odd limbs which were then selected and sewn onto bodies here and there.
During the time I was creating the Odd Bods, I had a walk at Caves Beach and saw a Spangled Drongo sitting in a tree. A truly resplendent and magically beautiful bird which in all my years of bird watching , I had never seen before, so I made one in an Odd Boddy kind of way, he makes the story complete.
The Odd Bods were born.
Each ‘Odd Bod ‘grew organically in response to the materials at hand and each one grew in character as they were made. They started off as a freehand drawn, amorphous shape on recycled old clothes and linens, cut out, then handsewn together.
I made odd limbs which were then selected and sewn onto bodies here and there.
During the time I was creating the Odd Bods, I had a walk at Caves Beach and saw a Spangled Drongo sitting in a tree. A truly resplendent and magically beautiful bird which in all my years of bird watching , I had never seen before, so I made one in an Odd Boddy kind of way, he makes the story complete.
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Uniting Preschool Caves Beach
Marine School
Collected waste and natural beach items (driftwood, shells, sponges, feathers). Other items reused and repurposed (woven basket, plastic bottles, fruit bags, bottles tops, ribbons, tubing, silver insulation, string)
Not for sale
On exhibition in Swansea
Connect with Uniting Preschool Caves Beach website
Marine School
Collected waste and natural beach items (driftwood, shells, sponges, feathers). Other items reused and repurposed (woven basket, plastic bottles, fruit bags, bottles tops, ribbons, tubing, silver insulation, string)
Not for sale
On exhibition in Swansea
Connect with Uniting Preschool Caves Beach website
We have created a "school" of fish which represent the many children and families at preschool, and our connection through the community of our preschool. Our artwork is inspired by art from Torres Strait Islander artists who reused fishing nets, and created an artwork of different sea creatures, and the importance of the local lake and ocean to our children. Our preschool regularly explores issues around the environment and ways to look after nature and living creatures. Due to COVID we sent kits home to children that were not attending and children to created their own ocean creature. We have used found natural beach items and waste items. We also have reused other items from the preschool and reverse garbage. We were able to use a collaborative approach with children attending and children at home, bringing their ideas and creative creatures together.
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Zoe Humphrey
Flower Peddle Power A bicycle wheel, off cut cotton ropes from previous pieces, last squirts of black spray paint in spray cans. $350 On exhibition in Charlestown Connect with Zoe on Instagram or Facebook Using the wheel and spokes to create a round flower piece. I used weaving techniques to work from the outside in.
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