Plastic Confluence series

The majority of plastic manufactured in the US is designed for a single use, such as plastic shopping bags.  I collected discarded plastic bags from headwaters streams in, melted them to mimic natural patterns, and attached them to other debris gathered from the river. This series is part of the Ancient New project.

Plastic Confluence #3, plastic bags and barrel hoop salvaged from the river. 30″x30″x2″

 

Film Vines

I worked with local water protectors to collect plastic from streams.  During a series of free public workshops, participants taped trash from the river to 16mm film strips to create a silent motion picture film.  I attached the film strips left over from this process to beaver sticks.  The result is a kinetic sculpture that helps deconstruct the filmmaking process.

Film vines: Beaver sticks, bailing twine and 16mm motion picture film strips with salvaged plastic. 50″ x 48″ x 2″

Greenhouse effect

Greenhouse effect test

Greenhouse Effect explores the impact of our electricity consumption through the lens of an electric meter.

A glass globe salvaged from an old electric meter has been converted into a terrarium. Inside the terrarium live plants surround a lump of coal. Over time, the terrarium fogs up and the plants slowly turn brown and die.

Materials: electric meter globe, forged steel, native Appalachian plants, and coal.

Dimensions: 18″high by 14″ wide by 14″ deep

Sunbuggy

The Sunbuggy is an all terrain solar powered video display. The video displayed is titled Juice, a silent short edited from archival footage about electricity production. Materials: Solar panel, galvanized steel, plastic wheels, battery, voltage inverter, electrical wiring, automotive lighting, LCD video monitor.

Push It

push it KB

Push It is a pedal powered video player that allows viewers to create the power that plays a video loop about the human use of pedal power throughout history.

Materials: welded steel, salvaged bicycle, video monitor, dynamo and belts.

Splitscreen

Dimensions: 30″high by 14″ wide by 54″ long

Splitscreen-2

The Splitscreen is a rear screen video projection on a coal truck windshield. The driver’s side features a coal truck driver talking about the challenges he faces at work, and the passengers side features the voices of coalfield residents who have lost loved ones to accidents with coal trucks. I used outtakes from the Coal Bucket Outlaw documentary to produce this three dimensional conversation starter.

Materials: Coal Truck Windshield, diamond plate aluminum, exhaust pipe, truck mirrors, video projection, sound system.

Dimensions: 48″wide by 38″ high by 88″ long