Ocean Inspiration

Throughout this project I was inspired by documentaries on the ocean. The Cove focused on the culling of dolphins within Japan, and the affect it has on the species, the ocean and the towns of Japan. Mission Blue is about an oceanographer and environmentalist, Sylvia Earle, and her campaign to create protected marine sanctuaries around the world. 

I also looked into The Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is a trash vortex filled with micro plastic. Mammals get tangled in abandoned fishing nets, which are often discarded due to their low cost. I decided to use netting within my work to reference this. 

I hope that though my work I can explore the concept of the everyday, the ephemeral and the throw away - and show the affect it has on the ocean. 

Artist Statement

I began this project by looking at everyday objects that are cheap and considered to be a throw away. We discard so much ‘trash’ every single day and unfortunately it all has to go somewhere.

I have recently been looking at a lot of documentaries on the impact we humans have on the world, and more specifically them impact we have on the ocean. Mission Blue was one documentary that really stuck with me. It is about an oceanographer and environmentalist, Sylvia Earle, and her campaign to create protected marine sanctuaries around the world. She travelled throughout the world to show the destruction and decay of the ocean floor and what we can do to protect them.

I recently moved house and as I was unpacking I realised I have a lot of disposable items, one of which was CD’s. I wanted to upcycle them into a work that discussed the issues of cheap and throw away items as part of our everyday world. I also wanted to use a material that largely referenced the ocean, and I chose to use netting. I liked the juxtaposition of the soft, flowing net against the hard, stiff CD’s.

I chose to hang the work in the shape of an egg or chrysalis to symbolise the life and transformation of the ocean. I then put the CD’s together in a very aggressive way and embedded them throughout the netting to symbolise the destruction throw away objects have on the ocean floor, which ultimately turns to death. 

Progress #3

At first I thought I would hang the fishing net in the shape of a fishing net, at an angle cascading down from the ceiling.

I decided that was a bit too literal for my project and went with a different shape. I have been thinking alot about symbolism and decided to go with something that represented life. I went with a chrysalis/egg shape and spiralled the CDs through to represent the aggressiveness and destruction of the ocean.

Progress #2

Some more progress work on my project.I have decided to juxtapose the material of the net with the hard CD's.

Progress #1

In the beginning I envisioned that my work would be a single hanging piece. That all the sections would be connected in a single spiral. Unfortunately the work became to heavy and unstable and it broke apart. I think this was partly from the glue as well, so I bought a new glue gun and rethought how the work would hang.

Sarah Sze - 'Triple Point'

Sarah Sze is known for her site-specific installations that are created with everyday-found objects. She uses toothpicks, plastic bottles, sponges, light bulbs and other objects. She investigates the value we put onto objects and the meaning we place on locations and times we occupy. Sze explores the notion of location and the need to locate ourselves in a disorienting world. She transforms the space with shifts in scale while creating stability and balance within the installation 

I am interested in the use of found objects within installations and I really like the way Sze has assembled her work. 

Richard Maloy

In 2012 Richard Maloy created Big Yellow in the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial at GOMA. In this work Maloy taped together recycled cardboard and then covered it in glossy yellow paint. He used these industrial materials to create playful environments for visitors to explore. Big Yellow is a gigantic work that experiments with the audience's experience. Maloy creates an environment that completely immerses the visitor. 

This work is a site specific installation that draws in the viewer to become an active participant. The colour of this work is bright and inviting and successfully creates a surreal environment that surrounds the participant. 

Blue Dog is another playful work that Maloy has created specifically for younger audience members. It's a whimsical and playful work that seeks to spark the imagination of these viewers. Here, Maloy has upcycled a synthetic toy dog that has been coated in acrylic paint. 

A recurring them in Maloy's work is the use of recycled materials and he manipulates them in unique and fun ways. His installations are inviting and actively engage with the viewer. His work comments on throw away objects and the use of unconventional materials in a gallery setting.

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot is a French artist that creates immersive expericences. He explores the rhythms of everyday life and unlocks the musical potential within unconventional materials.

The work 'From Here to Ear' is a sonic installation that was set up at the Peabody Essex Museum. Boursier-Mougenot created a gallery-turned-aviary that housed 70 zebra finches and amplified guitars. In this Boursier-Mougenot explores realities that are not meant to be experienced through sight. He invites small groups of visitors into the room to experience the finches flying through the gallery creating surreal sounds and music. 

'From Here to Ear' is an extremely effective work. It's a beautiful installation that invites the audience to participate and allows them to view unique creature in a surreal environment. It creates a once in a lifetime experience and is an extremely intimate sensory journey/

In 2015 Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's work 'Revolutions' was chosen to represent France in the Venice Biennale.Once again Boursier-Mougenot creates an installation that engages the audience.  'Revolutions' was set up as an organic island of refuge where visitors could rest and relax. The glass from the skylight was removed and within the wooden walkways of the gallery, trees move in time with their metabolisms. The trees are machine and nature hybrids that are sensitive to the light. Their are electrical currents resulting from the bond between the earth and the trees and it surrounds the installation. It creates an environment that is relaxing and reflective for the visitor. 

Boursier-Mougenot creates intricate installations that engage the visitor. He allows the audience to become a crucial element in the work and sparks reflection in the way they view art. He questions the idea of a gallery space and explores the bond between nature, art and us.