Forging treasures from the world’s lost and found
Eco-artists deliver a transformative experience in Royal Botanic Garden Sydney exhibition
The works of almost 40 innovative and renowned eco-artists will take centre-stage at a new exhibition online in August and opening at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in December 2021.
Transformation will encompass everything from haute couture and jewellery, to homewares, wall art, textiles and more — with all exhibits featuring recycled materials, including paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, metal and rubber, in addition to discarded and found objects.
The exhibition will run online from 1–22 August 2021 and will continue from 11-19 December at The Palm House and The Moore Room (in the Royal Botanic Garden) and will excite all age groups. Entry is free of charge.
Curator Robbie Macintosh says Transformation is all about changing our perceptions of what qualifies as waste, and inspiring behavioural change. “We want to awaken our visitors’ collective conscience,” said Robbie.
“Eco artistry is not just intriguing, beautiful and transformative; it is also about showing concern for the environment and encouraging us to adapt for a brighter future where we live more sustainably by rescuing items which would otherwise be discarded.”
Highlights include:
- Ancient Land inspired by echidna quills and made from wood rescued from landfill (Tracey Deep, 2021 Wynne Prize Finalist)
- the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken ceramics are repaired using lacquer and gold (Yoko Kawada)
- powerful renderings of birds drawn from charred sticks from the 2020-2021 bushfires (Jody Graham)
- useable bowls, knife handles and chopping boards made from rescued skateboards (Dave Smith)
- custom-made couture generated from recycled fabrics (recent University of Technology Masters graduate Sally Jackson, currently with works at the Powerhouse Museum)
- 3D-printed works using filament from recycled material created by Associate Professor Tim Schork and his students from the department of Design, Technology and Architecture at UTS.
A share of the proceeds from the exhibition goes towards assisting Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens with continuing their support of horticulture, conservation, scientific research and education programs within the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah.
This exhibition is proudly sponsored by
