Carolyn Bigott- Recycled Trash Environmental Sculptures
Preface: Hello I’m Carolyn Bigott and my portfolio encompasses recycled trash environmental sculptures. This portfolio will be licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).
Introduction: The work of Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Osha Neumann, and Angela Haseltine Pozzi upcycles manmade pollution and turns it into a remarkable piece of artwork. This artistic approach encourages audiences to think about manmade waste and how to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Theme: All of the artists use manmade pollution to tell a story. A common theme is sustainability and encourages humans to recycle things and be more conscious of the environment. Another theme is the play on words, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.
Analysis: The image, “Sculpture with Background”, is of a sculpture found in Albany Bulb in San Francisco. Albany Bulb has been many things in the past, but is now a landfill. Homeless people have stayed there. In recent times, Albany Bulb has transformed into a tourist locations because of sculptures. Osha Neumann is one of the artists that changed the reputation of Albany Bay. The image, “Beach Trash Art Fish”, was constructed by Angelina Haseltine Pozzi. This sculpture is made of materials collected from the ocean and beaches. The artist was inspired to create this structure to show people the reality of plastic pollution in the ocean. The image, “Shadow Portraits”, was designed by Tim Noble & Sue Webster. The name of this artwork is Dirty White Trash (gulls), 1998. The artists used materials that few would see a use for and turned it into an exquisite piece of art. The trash is manipulated to shadow two humans consuming alcohol and smoking. This image symbolizes the toxic environment we live in today and artists shed light on environmental issues.
Application: I think many people in today’s society view things as single use. This form of creative expression is revolutionary because it is sustainable and portrays the message of waste production. The fish sculpture shows that the ocean plastic and other pollutants are directly affecting the marine life. It also forces the public to realize their plastic consumption and inspires they to become more aware. The “Sculpture with Background” shows that landfills can be transformed into beautiful places and inspires people to look at waste as reusable. The “Shadow Portraits” image shows sea gulls eating from the trash pile. The shadow symbolizes the connection between humans and trash. The sea gulls are consuming things that can be fatal. The shadow is of one person smoking and the other consuming alcohol. This artwork is noteworthy because it portrays the toxicity in today’s society. This artwork will hopefully help people realize change is needed.
