In response to the brief of exploring the makeup of a material and its sustainability in relation to the Anthropocene, I chose to explore one of the most common pieces of litter found in our environment. Crisp packets are composed of multiple layers of plastics and metal that are so compressed together it is impossible to decompose. My focus was to explore the material by manipulating its form as well as testing its durability because as we know it doesn’t decompose. By experimenting with heat I was able to mould, shrink, melt and meld the material in a few ways that resulted in interesting new forms and textures. I explored the texture and created patterns with mono-printing as well as digitally inverting images to get more defined shapes. When I found that the prints only had limited purpose I looked further into form. From talking with tutors I was given the inspiration to look into the possibility of using this material to repair things. This tied in perfectly with the idea of exploring durability and I decided to “fix” potholes in my local environment which brings the project back full circle as crisp packets are known to be left in landfills. I found that filling these holes with the moulded and melted material was suitable as it withstood the elements and was sturdy enough to walk over. This is a piece of activism that highlights a major issue that we continue to produce materials that don’t decompose as well as being a practical product that if developed further would be useful and turn a negative issue good.
Experience:
Being HUMAN 2021/22