Annually, approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.

 

A plastic bag has an average “working life” of 15 minutes.

Over the last ten years, we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.

 

Estimates for how long plastic endures range from 450 years to forever. More than 40 percent of plastic is used once, and then tossed.

Plastic has become part of our life. It’s everywhere, and it will be with us forever- and that’s a long time. 

 

The core idea of the Bloomastics series, is to illustrate and reference the presence of plastic in our everyday lives and the environments we live in, thus generating awareness and encouraging dialogue about this insidious problem.

 

I wanted to do this with a subtle aesthetic approach. With images that are striking enough to engage the viewer on an artistic level and become a focal point in anybody’s home, with the aim of triggering dialogue.

 

The Bloomastics still-lives photographic series captures a variety of plants and flowers with a visual twist. Each work combines found plastics that were collected on the beaches of the Mornington Peninsula with the organic natural forms in a way that is not obvious to the viewer initially but is revealed as the work is viewed.

 

Artistically, I was collaborating with Liz Walker, a renowned Mornington Peninsula artist. Liz is one of the many voices that tackle environmental issues, through art initiatives and her approach to creating art. I

 

Artwork:

Pigment ink on Canson Photographique Rag. Frames are made by using recycled window frames. These photos have all been shot in camera. There is no AI or photoshop work involved.

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Cook Street Collective – Online Gallery

https://cookstreetcollective.com.au/product/put-the-lid-on-bloomastics-1/

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