The sheer amount of plastic waste is staggering. According to the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP), land-based sources account for up to 80 percent of the world’s marine pollution – 60 to 95 percent of the waste being plastics debris.
Faced with these alarming statistics, environmentally conscious artist, Aurora Robson, knew she had to do something, and do something quick. A founding artist of Project Vortex, an international collective of artists, designers, and architects who work extensively with plastic debris, Robson now commits herself fully to raising awareness about the problem of plastic waste.
Her approach is focused on shifting paradigms in art and science education while also helping restrict the flow of plastic debris to our oceans. One of her tactics is repurposing plastic waste into original sculptures and installations. She has also been developing a college course called “Sculpture + Intercepting the Waste Stream” designed to foster creative stewardship initiatives through academia.
“My goal is to employ art as a device for shifting values,” she explained in an interview with Artnet. “As opposed to merely communicating, I am attempting to literally reprogram myself and my audience in terms of our relationship to matter, ourselves, and each other.”
“I want my work to be an accurate reflection of reality, but waste is messy,” she says. “I aim for precision in the work. In order to achieve that precision, my studio must be carefully prepared. I listen to news and information on various programs for a portion of the day so that I can stay informed. Then for the remainder of the day, I typically play energetic or meditative, innovative music to aid in processing information and maintaining creative momentum.”
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