Dark Blooms. Neckpiece. Recycled plastic bags, found and dyed fishing line

CONSUMER culture in the 20th/21st centuries has embraced the plastic bag as a disposable object – our environment is sadly compromised. Our local community is part of a sophisticated first world country, and yet still we seem to ignore this indiscriminate use and disposal of the bags I have been exploring ways in which they can be recycled using a wearable vernacular – in exhibitions including Greensmith ( Brisbane and California ), String Fundamentals ( Hong Kong ), and conducting workshops ( in FNQ ) on the making of wearable objects using plastic bags. I also use recycled fishing line in my work, another potentially environmentally dangerous material that is found in abundance along the coastline and on the reef. Reusing a few plastic bags will not solve the problem, but hopefully alert people to think before they take their groceries home in another contribution to an environmental disaster.

Image courtesy Henrik Kerstens

Dark Blooms Neckpiece - recycled supermarket plastic bags, found and dyed fishing line

Dark Blooms - Big brooch - recycled plastic bags and found and dyed fishing line

Armpiece - recycled supermarket plastic bags, found and dyed fishing line, recycled 18 ct. rose gold

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Brooches - recycled market bags, recycled sterling silver

Pin - recycled market bags, recycled sterling silver

Brooch: Red blooms

Earrings - reused argentium silver, recycled plastic bags

Earrings - reused argentium silver, plastic bags

Earrings - reused argentium and sterling silver, plastic bags

Neckpiece - recycled plastic bag, recycled sterling silver, recycled and reused sterling silver brooch

Neckpiece - recycled plastic bag, recycled sterling silver, recycled and reused sterling silver brooch

Neckpiece: recycled plastic bags, recycled acupuncture needle covers, reused sterling silver beads.

From "in oceanum" (in o-she-arn - um) series Sterling silver, supermarket plastic bag recycled

In Oceanum – (In O-she-arn-um)

“Of the Ocean” is a wearable glimpse into life in the Pacific Ocean – the ocean that abuts the coastline east of Queensland, Australia. Here there are about 230,000 marine species – from microorganisms to 33 meter blue whales, plus over 2 million marine species yet to be documented. Working as a creative artist/contemporary jeweller this provides a great wealth of provocation to the imagination as to the nature of these “unidentified organisms” – including those in that area of the recently introduced anomaly aka plastic. Introducing plastic into my visual vocabulary is to enforece and awarenesss of the accelerating distress of the oceans, and a reminder to give a thought before using/discarding another item of potential death to a marine species. It is significantly more threatnening than just a visual blot.

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Red blooms neckpiece: Sterling silver, acupuncture needle covers, recycled plastic bags

Red blooms neckpiece - Just one way of wearing: Sterling silver, acupuncture needle covers, recycled plastic bags

Red blooms neckpiece final design: Sterling silver, acupuncture needle covers, recycled plastic bags

Red Bloom earrings: Argentium silver, recycled plastic bags

Argentium silver, recycled plastic market bags