Art Hats: Upcycling Waste Plastic
These 'Art Hats' are part of a series of sculptural textile work I've been making recently, which upcycles waste plastic, primarily carrier bags. I began ‘locking’ plastic within my artwork, because of the drastic shortcomings of plastic recycling. The process of collecting just a few items of my own plastic waste really highlighted the scale of the problem for me.
Plastic can be a difficult and fiddly medium to stitch, but I enjoy the joyful nature of the artwork which, for me, is like a ray of hope amid the alarming nature of the issues which underpin its creation. I love the random nature of using waste materials, finding out what I can make them do, and creating unexpected outcomes from these over-familiar, often ugly materials.
You can see new work as I create it on Instagram (@lynnepencil) or see more of my textiles on my website www.lynnechapmantextiles.co.uk. Sign up to my mailing list, for invitations to exhibitions and updates on new projects: https://facebook.us14.list-manage.com...
Please also check out my new video blog, Art Chat, where I talk in more detail about the art hats and other work I am creating. It's a fun and informal chat with fellow artist John Birks. We share our processes, our inspirations and talk candidly about any creative or technical issues we're facing and how we are trying to work through them.