The Riverbank

Boxed framed 51x60 x 9 cm

The Riverbank is part of a series of 3 called "Source to Sea" for the State of the Art 2021 award theme "On the Brink: Visualising Climate Change"

"Source to Sea"
The journey of rivers, the conduits of plastic pollution to the ocean.

I created these fauna and flora inspired pieces from plastic, which I collected off the beaches of South Africa, to heighten awareness around the devastating impact plastic pollution is having on our environment.
 
The variety of plastic found and used in my pieces is endless. So many of them are unidentifiable and I often wonder what they once were, where they came from, and who they belonged to.
 
I hope that my voice as an artist can bring about personal reflection and compel behavioural change to help solve this global pollution problem, which we all contribute to. 
 
My three submissions, collectively titled “Source to Sea”, depict the journey of rivers which are the conduits for plastic pollution to reach our oceans.
 
The Source – The source of rivers is rich in biodiversity, providing functioning ecosystems, creating clean air, water, and the pollination of plants. South Africa has around 20 000 species of plants, making up 10% of all the flora found on earth. Due to threats such as urbanization and climate change, 25% of South Africa’s flora is threatened with extinction. 
 
The Riverbank – River health is deteriorating faster than it can be measured and human impact continues to severely compromise biodiversity. It is imperative that we protect our freshwater systems, not only to protect natural habitats, but because water is our ultimate life force. 
 
The Estuary – Rivers account for 80% of plastic waste found in the ocean worldwide. The key solution to protecting the ocean and our freshwater systems is to contain our waste and pollution on land, from where it originates. This can be done by curbing our consumption and applying responsible waste management.
 
In the words of C.S. Lewis…
 
“You can’t go back to the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”