Welcome to the Plastisphere

Welcome to the Plastisphere is a collaborative project by artists Karen Hackenberg, Margie McDonald, and I.  It began with debris collected from Anacortes beaches and the Anacortes Arts Festival public art project called TideCraft, "turning salvaged marine debris into art".

The three of us began meeting in April to brainstorm, imagine, play, decide on a direction and begin to clean up the beach debris.  We decided early on to work with plastic bottles. For the next four months we worked alone, together and with others, cleaning, cutting, folding, drilling, stringing, imagining and reimagining.

After some of our work parties we set up little mini 'still lifes' to problem solve and envision how it might look with the 20' rebar we planned to use.

We installed at the festival on August 6th and continued cutting plastic bottles to add to the Plastisphere throughout the weekend.  

The beginning of set up and on site construction

Welcome to the Plastisphere, Anacortes Arts Festival, 2015

More images, videos (stunning in the wind!) and information about Welcome to the Plastisphere on its Facebook Page. 

September 26-27, 2015    

Karen, Margie and I were joined by Gary Pascoe, the environmental toxicologist to install the next incarnation of Welcome to the Plastisphere at the Surge Festival at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner, Washington. The Festival focused on artists and scientists working together to draw attention to climate change and its impact on the Northwest’s coastal communities.   

Morning meditations - On retreat in Spokane

This place of now

Puzzling (Ponderosa pine)

Coming out from under

Between many and one

This 'work' was done during a 9 day silent meditation retreat with Jason Siff in Spokane. The outside temperature varied between 70 degrees in 'cool' nights and 104 degrees. Being a Washington coastal type (our weather is often cool, grey and rainy), the heat provided another dimension to alter my perception. Camping at night, in a tent in the meadow, helped me wake with the birds and develop my own form of morning meditation. In the cool of the morning, I walked the land, engaging what was within and around me with natural materials and the cotton gloves and jigsaw puzzle pieces I brought with me. 

During the retreat, as we wove between sitting meditation and dharma talks, between being indoors and being outdoors in nature, I had many thoughts about art-working as a spiritual practice. For years this has been a recurring thread in my work and thoughts. Soon I look forward to focusing more attention in this direction. If you're interested and want me to keep you posted on developments involving my work with art and spiritual practice and/or art as a healing force. Let me know via email at  glolamson @ gmail dot com (no spaces) . (will send only rare emails.)

Tertium quid