Blog task Week 5

Mark Vaarwerk 



 The plastic bags are either hand spun with a drop spindle to make necklaces, or fused with heat to make rings or brooches. In the case of plastic bottles (generally polyethylene bottles - for example milk and shampoo bottles, tomato sauce bottles, some yoghurt containers, etc) I have fused to make rings, brooches and bracelets. To make a ring i would cut the bottle into strips the width I would like the ring to be and then wind it firmly around a metal rod the same diameter I would like the inside of the ring to be. Aluminum foil is then wrapped around it to hold the layers in place and it is gently heated through in a kiln. once it cools again the aluminum foil is removed, the plastic is tapped off the rod and trimmed into shape and finally the surface is sanded and polished to make it shiny.



We think this is so very true - A big part of the supercycling ethos is one of re-self-empowerment (sorry that is such a clumsy made up word - but it does the job) The notion of having someone else deal with our mess/rubbish/waste has become so natural to us that we think that it is someone else's problem to solve. But it's our own, and we only really need to do a little to help the situation - being mindful of our own waste and what we are doing with it is actually easy - there is no rule against taking these matters into our own hands, though not all of us will do it so eloquently and with such wit as Mark does.

homework part 2, 2010

some of the additional new work presented at gaffa gallery, sydney

bracelet green 94mm
materials: expanded polystyrene food box, colouring 
pencil


brooch pink 64mm
materials: expanded polystyrene food box, acrylic car
light covers, printer ink, stainless steel, sterling
silver

brooch beige 49mm

materials: expanded polystyrene food box, cellulose 
acetate tortiseshell rayban wayfarer frames,
stainless steel, sterling silver

brooch beige 49mm

materials: expanded polystyrene food box, cellulose acetate tortiseshell rayban wayfarer frames,stainless steel, sterling silver

pendant yellow 54mm
materials: expanded polystyrene food box, acrylic car
head-light cover, printer ink