Ocean's Bane

Is it me, or has the ocean of plastic we use in our daily lives increased exponentially over the last few years?

A regular shop at the supermarket and the scenario when I get home is always the same. Remove the plastic wrapping or container and throw it away. What could I do with it anyway? Even stranger and I am ashamed to say, some of the aforementioned items, before being put into the refrigerator, are then transferred into a box from the plastic box drawer—yes, we all have one!

Above are some examples of plastic wrapping from food stuffs I bought recently. It's hard to find anything in a supermarket without a plastic covering these days. Even a cucumber has a plastic wrapping—can someone tell me what that's all about?

Eventually, the empty packets, yes you guessed it, get thrown away in black plastic bags and buried in dumps for all eternity. Or their contents find their way out into the oceans, to float around like macabre algae, until they end up inside and killing marine life and birds.
Did you know most plastics will take anywhere from 450 to 1000 years to biodegrade? There are even some that won't biodegrade ever—so, what are we thinking?

Mild attempts to reduce the plastic bag flow are made by some supermarkets, with a money back incentive, to encourage you to reuse the bag on your next visit. Methinks this is merely lip service and a ploy to make you revisit their shop.

As remarkable as I think human achievements are and continue to be, when it comes to destroying the planet we seem to be experts in it and turn a blind eye to its ever increasing plight.

So, from now on, I've decided to change my shopping habits. I'm going to use the little shops and markets more often and go in search of food that isn't wrapped in plastic—who's with me?

You may also be interested to hear, as an artist, and in the light of environmental challenges, I'm currently writing a creative E-Course. Due to appear later in the year or early 2018. In it, the problem is addressed through hands on creativity, along with sources, resources and an informed environmental awareness.

It's an E-Course for adults wishing to take time for themselves creatively as well as meet others of a like mind. Regardless of artistic experience or creative level—so that includes you!

If you'd like to be kept up to date on my E-Course as it progresses, or have always wanted to take part in a creative class, with an environmental flavour, please, sign up for my newsletter to be kept up to date on my progress: here

The newsletter is a digital feast that will arrive in your inbox monthly, it also includes my most current illustrative work.

Thank you for reading!

© Alison Day 2018

Alison Day Design 

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Drink & B Merry

Found amongst the posts of Mosaic Artists - a page I like on Facebook. 
Brilliant use of bottle caps, I'm impressed! - Re-cycle...Re-use...Re-invent! 

Unfortunately, artist unknown, but if anyone finds the link, please pass it on as I'd love to credit him/her.

Futures Calendar

Every week throughout 2012, ThinkActVote will release one illustrative future to help you imagine yours; here are the first five - For more information follow the links.

   The works will be exhibited, and a publication of all the illustrations will be created in book form. If you'd like to help or support this cause, please get in contact with ThinkActVote

David Hawkworth's Future Illustrated by Alison Day

David Hawksworth‘s Future “The Future I Choose is creative, connected, cultured, with less consumption and waste.”  More info here

Shibin Vasudevan's Future Illustrated by Maria Papadimitriou (Slowly The Eggs)

Shibin Vasudevan’s Future is one “where the word waste ceases to exist in our dictionaries.” 
More info here

James Parr's Future illustrated by Gareth Barnes

James Parr’s Future is one “where putting the environment first is a reflex“  
More info here

Ed Gillespie's Future, illustrated by Joana Casaca Lemos

Ed Gillespie’s Future: The Future I Choose is green. Not just a colour. Not just a political party. Not just a term for naivety! ...  More info here

Joy Green's Future illustrated by Anila Babla

Joy Green’s Future: The future I choose is one where the cities are full of birds, the oceans are full of fish and the wild areas are coming back. And we all know how to grow vegetables!”  
More info here

1. The Futures Interview: http://alisondaydesigns.blogspot.nl/2011/12/futured-interview.html

2. Video: http://alisondaydesigns.blogspot.nl/2012/01/futures-exhibtion-think-act-vote.html

3. Book launch and press release: http://alisondaydesigns.blogspot.nl/2012/07/the-future-we-choose.html

Alison Day Designs

Houtmagier (Wood Magician) Arjan Portengen

Finding some studios and their artists isn’t always a breeze, but once I had found a large and obviously empty building that looked like a perfect space to house a furniture designer, I knew I was on the right track. Previously a warehouse for kitchen supplies, the building is now totally empty, except for the presence of four artists who have made personal studios out of the space within it. One of these is Arjan Portengen; also known as ‘De Houtmagiër’ (Wood Magician).

The revolving entrance door to the building had to be unlocked in order to let me in and opened out onto an enormous interior space of concrete floors, large high windows and a motionless escalator to the upper level. As we walked through it towards Arjan’s studio of six years, the abandoned feel of the building, reminded me of the atmosphere in the film ‘Escape from NY’ starring Kurt Russell.

The building is one of a multitude of properties managed by Ad Hoc (www.adhocbeheer.nl) a nationwide company responsible for vacant buildings. These are rented out, for a token monthly payment, until such a time as the property is reused or demolished. The tactic is to prevent vandalism and break-ins, so often prevalent in empty buildings.

‘Ribbenkast’ (Ribs cupboard) by Arjan Portengen

Once ensconced on a large sofa with a cup of coffee I asked Arjan what led him to becoming the wood magician and furniture designer. In reply, he said that for him, old furniture has always had more soul than new and many of his pieces have started out life as an object thrown away on the street, by a previous owner. This interest in furniture and bric-a-brac in turn has led him develop his signature style by creating a new object, by way of a collage of both new and old elements, which at the finish becomes a completely new piece of furniture in it’s own right. Most of the time he already has an idea in his head to start with and this is translated into a sketch, but as with most sketches, the idea evolves as he works. He coupled his interest in furniture with a study, where he trained as a furniture maker for a year and a half, thereby learning the basics of furniture construction, the rest (in his words) came from him and has resulted in what he makes today.

In a lot of his work there lies a conceptual joke, cupboards dance or take on a new form or life of their own. For example, there is the ‘Ribbenkast’ (Ribs cupboard), a white skeletal spine-like construction supporting a series of draws, of varying sizes, at intervals along its length. The skeletal spine symbolizes death and the draws represent memories. Each draw is individual and brightly coloured. In this case (which is an exception to his general colour use), it is a reference to the Mexican traditional use of vibrant colours and their intense relation with the dead, particularly during the annual ‘Day of the dead’ celebration.

De Dansende Kast !! - “It takes two to tango”

When asked about influences in his work, he says he tries (hard though it is) not to be influenced by external influences and if he is, it is not done expressly.

Other than his creative side and the ‘kronkels realiseren’ (realising the twists of ideas that present themselves), he is a restorer and carpenter able to make and mend traditional doors, cupboards and interiors, which he enjoys. At the moment he is restoring a farm interior and its built-in cupboards, so the creative projects are temporarily on hold.

I ask him if money and support were no object, what would he like to make here in Groningen, to leave his mark? After a bit of thought Arjan came up with two. The first would be to work his wood magic on the east wall of the City Hall or a whole room as artwork, with total free licence to do whatever he wanted. The second came just as I was leaving. To build a tram carriage totally out of wood and in his inimitable style and attach it to one of the future trams that Groningen will be getting. I pitch in, that he should work his website address into the side of the tram too for a bit of publicity! With that the revolving door is unlocked again, I step out into bright sunlight, take my leave of Arjan and hop onto my bike in search of some retail therapy at the nearby IKEA.

Arjan Portengen’s website: De Houtmagier

Studio: Sontplein 4-8, 9723 BZ Groningen

First published in the Connections magazine #28 Summer 2010

Read & download issue here

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs