POLYFLORA
Polyflora is a possible future where plastics have fused with organic matter, creating hybrid species that have replaced the life we know today. This new environment is the planet’s rebirth from ecological distress. It has taken millions of years for organisms and systems to reintegrate organic material back into the life cycle. Since plastics have only been in existence for close to a hundred years, time is still needed for Earth’s current systems to adapt to them. In this future, those systems needed to assimilate plastics have evolved.
I utilize an abundance of accessible materials that have been deemed garbage and transform them into objects of value. Various plant species from these future landscapes are created by fusing, wrapping, gluing, and cutting soft plastics, with focus on the movement, shape, malleability, and substance of this material that has become so ubiquitous in the environment. The very sense of the word “plastic” is evident in the process of transformation; the ability for a material to be molded and transformed to fit specific needs. The complex nature of plant life, along with its determination to grow by any means necessary, is one of the influences for the work. I am inspired by the ability of plants to survive in the roughest conditions or through destructive processes. Plant life, referring to flowers specifically, symbolize life, rebirth, and fertility. My plastic materials, which also survive through rough conditions and destructive processes, are given new life and purpose in these organic forms.
By creating beautiful, highly detailed forms that mimic plants from this discarded material, I bring attention to the impact of consumption and waste, and its toxicity to our environment. The detail and complexity of the forms are meant to draw the viewer into the work. Upon closer inspection, the audience will be left with the subtle surprise – the realization that it is all entirely made out of plastic. The resulting work reflects an apocalyptic positivity- the concept that life will find a way to survive in a world full of plastics and human irresponsibility.
Photographs provided by Ryan Para.
