This work incorporates paper packaging from the artists home as well as paper bags that she has acquired through point-of-sale purchases or take-away meals. She finds beauty in the design and function of these throw-away materials brought out further by rubbing graphite and oil pastel into the surfaces.
Nicole first began working with recyled materials while living in Oman. There was limited professional grade art materials available, as well access to supplies was limited during the pandemic. She began to experiment with readily available materials from her home that otherwise would end up in the trash. She began to save cardboard food packaging and take-away bags to use as paper supports . Applying oil pastel color to the surfaces she began to create abstract compositions by taking notice of how areas such as dried glue stained differently than areas that were torn.
Once the surfaces were covered in color she folded the boxes to expose embedded textures and printed labels. Interspersed within the assemblage are other single use products, such as twist ties, plastic bottle tops, fast food condiment packets, stir sticks and plastic bags from restaurants and convenience stores.
The work originally made within her studio over an extended period of time was then reassembled within the gallery space revealing a trail of her everyday consumer routines.
DETAILS of the installation.
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single use
packaging
boxes, bags,
what of the odds and ends,, caps and straws and twist ties?
favourite brands from our local grocers
take-away, delivery with complimentary condiments
contents consumed,
piles accumulating
flattened, stacked, sorted
tossed
up-cycled, re-cycled
every day
outside beauty, nature surrounds.
plastics forever to break down
trees forever to regrow