Zero Waste: Doing It Imperfectly – Exhibition at Belconnen Arts Centre, ACT

Zero Waste: Doing It Imperfectly – Exhibition at Belconnen Arts Centre, ACT

Exhibitions
Since finding my first drawer on the street a few years ago, I have been contemplating different ‘drawer’ projects. In this exhibition, I use drawers conceptually in relation to sustainability and climate change. The first trigger for this project was the book A Zero Waste Life, which I found in a free ‘little library’ in Lyneham. The second was a Clean Up Australia e-newsletter that stated: “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly; we need millions of us doing it imperfectly”. To me, the drawers symbolise global, systemic ‘boxed in’ thinking, a business-as-usual mind frame regardless of intensifying environmental crises. Nonetheless, I’ve found Canberrans are increasingly committed to doing something – however imperfectly and each in their own way – to help mitigate climate change. Hearing…
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In the Drawer: The Silver Lining – Found object assemblage sculpture

In the Drawer: The Silver Lining – Found object assemblage sculpture

Exhibitions
Melbourne was in lockdown longer than any other city in the world: 262 days. During these times, I collected a wide range of trash – including numerous wooden drawers – on my daily outdoor walks. To me, these drawers symbolised containment, lockdown, isolation, quarantine: the situation in which we found ourselves. Yet during this time, I also witnessed immense resilience and spirit. People were undertaking imaginative family activities, exercising in unusual and creative ways, developing productive hobbies, and engaging in stimulating pursuits, all within severe public health restrictions. Despite the cloud of COVID-19, many people were creating their own silver lining. I have used this variety of positive experiences as a trigger to create images in the drawers – often abstractions rather than representations. I assembled them from the metal,…
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From the Streets of Vientiane

From the Streets of Vientiane

Exhibitions, General, Past Events
In September 2019, I worked with a cultural group and a wine bar in Vientiane, Laos, to run an art benefit. This is how it all came about. The trash of Vientiane I lived and worked as a volunteer in Vientiane, Laos, from May to September 2019. While I was there, I selectively picked up trash from the streets, as I always do, in order to create wall sculptures. The trash in Vientiane comprises plastic, plastic and more plastic. Drink bottles, cups, straws and bags proliferate in the gutters and on the footpaths. However, amongst this real trash were some treasures. This included unusually shaped pieces of both shiny and rusted metal. I also found some interesting, though small, backing materials. These included ceramic tiles, varnished ply, metal sheeting and…
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My First Solo Exhibition – Luang Prabang, Laos

My First Solo Exhibition – Luang Prabang, Laos

Exhibitions, Past Events
When I moved to Luang Prabang, Laos, in 2017, I had been creating wall sculptures from street trash for about six months. In Laos I worked as a volunteer in the Australian Volunteers for International Development program, which was funded by the Australian government. I wasn’t sure whether I would have any time there for making art, but just in case, I brought along my glue gun. Luckily, I found plenty of trash to use as raw material. I was also able to eke out some space to work in my small room that overlooked the Nam Khan River. How different the trash in Luang Prabang Luang Prabang trash was very different from Melbourne trash. Melbourne has lots of building and construction going on, so I find lots of nails,…
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