albatross 1

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Artist: Ann Coddington

Title: albatross 1

Attribution: albatross 1, 2020, Ann Coddington

Year: 2020

Materials: Twined linen and discarded plastic

Dimensions: 20x11x11

Image Statement: Recently, I saw a picture of an albatross that was decomposing on the beach, the inside of its body filled with plastic bits. I decided to create a series of work that directly confronted the reality of my part in the plastic waste cycle. I created a woven vessel to contain plastic that I had collected over a month’s time, some mine, some found as I was walking. The woven vessel, like the body of the albatross, will most certainly decompose long before the plastic within, but perhaps by then we will have found a viable way to take responsibility for our waste. In addition, I also x-ray the forms to reveal the plastic hidden inside. What appears elegant, organic and pure, like the body of the albatross, hides discarded detritus within. In truth, I do not want to fill my art with plastic. But none of us actually wants to fill our creatures, our oceans, our planet with plastic; and yet, we are. I had to find a way to take responsibility for my waste, to bring this conversation to the forefront of my work.