Mixed Media
Bubblewrap
METAMORPHOSIS:
RECYCLED REPURPOSED REIMAGINED Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center Solomons, MD |
Oxygen originated on earth two and a half billion years ago. An early form of bacteria living in the ocean developed a mutation that allowed it to convert energy from the sun, releasing oxygen as a byproduct. Lifeforms evolved soon after that adapted to using oxygen to create energy. In the next two billion years the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere increased exponentially, allowing for the growth of complex organisms and leading to the explosion of life on earth.
It is ironic that oxygen and air, so essential to life past and present, are today incorporated into many industrial processes and products that are poisoning our Earth. Bubblewrap is a plastic polymer film that is notoriously strong yet ecologically toxic and can take up to one hundred years to disintegrate once it is discarded. It contributes to the 380 million tons of plastic that is produced each year. Only 9% of this massive quantity is recycled. The rest is diverted to landfills, breaking down into tiny particles that contaminate our soils and waterways, and poison and kill any animals that unwittingly ingest them. In 2022, scientists found microplastics in human blood samples for the first time, indicating these products have entered our food chain. Recyling bubblewrap for use as an art medium is my stand against plastic pollution and an attempt to find opportunities to repurpose single-use materials. Like the early bacteria that released oxygen and gave birth to new life forms, my technique of heating bubblewrap under a gentle flame releases the encapsulated air and allows organic shapes and textures to form as the plastic buckles and shrinks. Through this process, a new form emerges that connects us to our primordial origins and reminds us of our impact on the natural world. |