Kuoros
Oval Right
Barrettes Wreath
Since 1999 Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang have been visiting 1000 yards of Kehoe Beach in the Point Reyes National Sea Shore. We have rambled this one remote beach hundreds of times to gather plastic debris washing out of the Pacific Ocean. By carefully collecting and "curating" the bits of plastic, we fashion it into works of art— art that matter-of-factly shows, with minimal artifice, the material as it is. The viewer is often surprised that this colorful stuff is the thermoplastic junk of our throwaway culture. As we have deepened our practice we’ve found, like archeologists, that each bit of what we find opens into a pinpoint look at the whole of human culture. Each bit has a story to tell.
–excerpt from the artist's website
Oval Left
Lemon Man
Bosky Dell
When we went on our honeymoon to Hawaii in 2007 I couldn't believe that I was collecting plastic bits instead of shells. I came home with a box full of bits that look just like these above. (I think I may have even posted about them before, but ah, well.) When I saw these works on Pinterest, they captured my heart all over again. This new phenomenon, so very sad (a disaster, really) and a reminder of our gross desire for the cheap and convenient and yet these images are so appealing in color and a bit nostalgic in their content, no? xo
2 comments:
What an incredibly cool way to repurpose all these plastic bits, the wreath would make a fantastic mirror frame for a kid's (my daughter's!) bedroom. I'm pretty sure most every parent is awash on a sea of plastic parts. And each one is guaranteed to be a unique piece.
Have you ever heard of Dead Horse Bay? It's a beach completely littered of old glass bottles and such. My family didn't understand why my husband and kids enjoy ourselves there, but people like you would understand! It's all about preserving the past and trying to salvage for today. There's a history to it all. Very neat art you make! - Jill
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