Naomi Henderson

Sculpture, 2016.

In 2016, my final University project was a visual nod to our Plastic waste crisis. From the forefront they present as seemingly unstable, colourful sculptures but important geological and social references sit deeper within their context. Read more below.

Concept Statement

By attempting to re-sculpt the modern landscape, the works bring together an unstable variety of discordant materials, such as, plastic waste, found materials, building materials and organic matter, to initiate a visual dialogue on material consideration and construction.

By reusing disregarded mediums in new ways, the ‘compounds’ exist in retaliation to the throw-away culture we currently live in. The recent unearthing of the ‘Plastiglomerate Rock’ provides us with a new geological marker, formed in a way similar to that of my making; through fusing together and re-assembling seemingly incompatible materials, creating new hybrid forms as a result. ‘The Plastic Age’ documentary by Jake Sumner was the initial source of inspiration for this project, it’s concerning visuals and alarming statistics urged me to direct my project towards raising awareness on our artificial, throw-away culture.

The idea was to address and replicate the hybrid compounds, whilst further using them as a utopian building tool. Construction of the sculptures becomes architectural whilst still reflecting the unstableness of the problem through imitating the art of rock balancing. They try to hint at new approaches to using plastic as an alternative, perhaps even sustainable, material- Pistoletto’s text ‘The Third Paradise ‘is at the forefront of my concept. Humankind’s progressive artificial world must maintain order and balance to avoid instability between the ‘natural’ and the ‘artificial’. 

 Plastic, once a revolutionary material, has comfortable situated itself within our everyday, but are we best using it to reform our modern landscape?