Artists’ Environmental Resource
Fife Contemporary has long been engaged with environmental concerns in how we carry out our work and also in the …
Tag: Janet Hughes
‘REsolve’ exhibition & the Circular Economy
So much going on in the world seems very negative, including UN scientists saying it’s ‘now or never’ to limit global warming. Things can feel pretty bleak. It surely must help to find something, even small, you can do to make a change for good.
The ‘REsolve’ exhibition at Kirkcaldy Galleries uses examples of creative work to illustrate the 4 main themes of the Circular Economy. These argue that it would massively improve the environment if we moved away from the current ‘Linear Economy’ – take-make-dispose – to a circular one. In this, waste and pollution are designed out, materials are kept in use for as long as possible, and the natural environment is regenerated, rather than depleted.
The exhibition has been running now 6 weeks and we’ve asked visitors if after viewing it, they feel there are any changes along the lines of a Circular Economy that they could make in their lives. We’ve had some great answers:
- Share tools with family members so don’t need to buy more than one
- Think before buying anything, making sure that I really need it, and if I do, I will buy secondhand first, and if not possible, eco-friendly/circular
- Donated an unwanted guitar to the OnFife music library
- The next garden tool we need to buy, we will hire instead
Here are some of the thought-provoking artworks on view:
Shown are Stefanie Cheong’s Zero Waste jewellery; the underside of one of Sara Howard’s ‘Circular Ceramics’, made from industrial waste; Janet Hughes of Balgarvie Weaving’s beautiful woven cloth from ‘Brockie’ wool, dyed with homegrown madder (photo Studio RoRo); Carol Sinclair’s ‘Tipping Point’ mobile made from recycled plastics & a new material that combines powdered studio waste and Polylactic Acid (photo Neil Hanna); Deirdre Nelson’s upcycled, secondhand t-shirt, embroidered with Platform21’s Repair Manifesto (photo Studio RoRo).
The Repair Manifesto is a list of what you can do to keep things going by repairing them in different ways, rather than throwing them out and buying new.
To find out more about all the artists in the exhibition, visit its webpage.
If you’d like to research ways of making your lifestyle more sustainable, we have a webpage of REsources you can check out, including Zero Waste Scotland and Greener Kirkcaldy. Let us know if you’re aware of others we’ve not included!
Also, if you’re an artist trying to make your practice more sustainable, take a look at our Artists’ Environmental Resource. We’re happy to share information about what you do to be more environmentally aware via the Sharespace – just get in touch.
Another excellent comment, made by an exhibition visitor, was that Marmite was already recycling brewery waste to make its product in 1902. So there’s nothing new about being circular in life or work. But time is really running out now, and even small changes help.
Posted in Fife Contemporary Blog
REsolve: a Creative Approach to the Circular Economy
Fife Contemporary is delighted to present REsolve: a Creative Approach to the Circular Economy as part of our commitment to put the climate emergency at the heart of our programming.
Curated by artist-curator Mella Shaw, this exhibition will showcase the work of contemporary artists, designers and makers and encourage new perspectives on resources, waste and how we live. It will take place at Kirkcaldy Galleries from 26 February to 8 May 2022.
The objects on show will challenge expectation, spark dialogue and reveal an innovative and explorative approach to materials that is essential for our transition away from our current take-make-waste economy. From salvaged building materials to the by-products of beer-making, in the hands of these creative practitioners everything has value to be unlocked. An alternative and hopeful future is discussed through adoption of the themes of the circular economy, as well as celebrating the craftsmanship and creativity necessary for moving towards a sustainable, zero carbon future.
Artists include Sarah Calmus, Chalk Plaster, Stefanie Ying Lin Cheong, Draff Studio, Paul Eames, Helen Grundy, Sara Howard, Janet Hughes, Hannah Imlach, Deirdre Nelson, Carol Sinclair and Daniel Svahn.
Listen to INSIGHTS from some of the participating artists in conversation with Mella Shaw, and explore more resources on the online microsite.
Header image: Objects from the REsolve exhibition. Photo © Ross Fraser McLean / StudioRoRo
