Lucy Stewart-Murray

During week 2. of the plastics project, I decided to develop the work that I had already made, continuing with the same topic and research. The angle I had chosen to look at was that plastic is a positive thing which has been crucial for development in many ways, and that it is humans who are responsible for the damage this material it has caused. I decided upon this viewpoint after researching the topic, but the main source of inspiration was the radio programme called ‘Plastic Fantastic’ on Radio 4. This provided a basic timeline of plastic and how it was seen as a miracle material when it was first used commercially during the 40’s and 50’s. During week 1.

I decided that collage was the most effective way to communicate my ideas, as I could use imagery taken from the 40’s and 50’s which would help create an atmosphere suggestive of the time period. However, I also wanted to show how plastic still has a positive impact currently, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic. To do this I wanted to combine the vintage imagery I had collected with more modern, current imagery of things such as PPE, or marks and prints made with plastic. Combining these would help create a contrast, but would have a strong positive message, showing that plastic has helped save millions of lives across the years, but especially during the pandemic. During week 1. I was exploring digital collage and the different techniques and styles associated with that, researching artists such as Julien Pacaud and Kate Miller. However, after evaluating my final outcome for week 1. I realised that the message that I wanted to communicate was being lost. This was due to several reasons, such as too many textures, a lack of focus and no clear link connecting the separate elements. I decided to continue with the collage idea, but focus on a different, simpler style associated with Risograph printing, and revisited research by looking at artists such as Will Harvey. This really helped my project to progress, as I could focus on the successful elements, communicating the positive message as well as creating a visually stimulating and successful piece.