Floatsam

Spending time on the shore, i am acutely aware of all these objects that the ocean continuously rejects.

Some of those are directly useful, such as buoys and ropes for instance.

Others, because they are damaged, have lost their original relevance; But the strength of the material and its colours are still there. They embody a human effort that I take pleasure in keeping alive by incorporating the physical qualities of those “ocean plastics” in the making of artwork.

This is why I am currently engaged in a project consisting of making pictures out of plastic debris gathered on the shore that will tell the story of the burgeoning plastic fishery that, at the beginning of the 21st century, allowed dubious characters to make huge profits by picking up from the shore all the plastic they wished, unhindered yet by the regulations that were soon to appear in order to protect what quickly became a dwindling resource. These pictures describe “The Plastic Fisheries-a Colourful Story”. They do not contain legends other than the titles of each piece since the story of the plastic fishery belongs to the future, it belongs to everyone to make it up.

In order to work with the remnants of ropes and nets, i am having to learn various embroidery and weaving skills, which is easier said than done. This work has made me aware of the level of skill required for the performance of needle arts, and I am indebted to all those (mostly) women who have had the foresight to leave behind a considerable literature so that I may try to learn their art.⠀

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