Sustainable art is art that is produced with the consideration for the wider impact.[3] Whether that be physical or metaphorical. The Australian artist under the pseudonym Marina Debris creates art from rubbish that washes up onto the beach. These art pieces include fashion, dresses as well as sculptures. Her unconventional work narrates that waste does come back to haunt us. It begs to question the use of single use plastic and what that means for the marine life, oceans and overall environment.[1]
Her art pieces she entitled ‘Trashion’ Is made from debris that she collected on the beach and fashioned into an article of clothing. Collecting this rubbish, she allows single use plastic to be kept out of landfills and dumps and transforms them into stunning art pieces. The debris that she uses in the state she found them- dirty and foul, just to highlight the seriousness of the issue.[2]
“Cuidado’ is a dress fashioned from cation tape that evidently washed up on the beach near her home. The striking yellow is pungent against the blue of the background. The sun is setting over the beach reflecting and complimenting the yellow in the caution tape. It could possibly symbolise the urgency of the situation at hand. Cuidado is a Spanish word meaning care, or watch out. Debris use of this tape makes the meaning of this art piece blatantly clear: we must act with caution to protect the environment. Her ‘Trashion’ impacts viewers and highlights the devastation of ocean pollution and the urgency of it.
- us. n.d. About The Artist. [online] Available at: <http://washedup.us/about.html> [Accessed 26 January 2021].
- Mathisen, L., n.d. Marina Debris: Giving Voice To The Sea | Throomers. [online] Throomers. Available at: <https://throomers.com/marina-debris-giving-voice-to-the-sea/> [Accessed 26 January 2021].
- wikipedia.org. n.d. Sustainable Art. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_art#:~:text=Sustainable%20art%20may%20also%20be,biophysical%2C%20historical%20and%20cultural).> [Accessed 26 January 2021].