Polymers in Action: Socially Engaged Art and the Environment
OCADU | ON | 2015
Vicki Clough

“Polymers in Action: Socially Engaged Art and the Environment examines eco-art pedagogies that are emerging in response to the serious issue of plastic waste pollution. Using a combination of collaborative, environmental, junk art and craft theories, this research shows how a reconnection to the environment through active participation and art making can foster environmental literacy and the formation of communities of practice. Four artists associated with the website Project Vortex are presented as case studies and analyzed for their critical engagement with waste plastics, environmental clean-up and community building initiatives and the dissemination of these projects to wide audiences via online platforms. Polymers in Action extends these case studies into a local curatorial and educational practice that encourages sustained critical engagement with the environmental implications of current recycling and waste disposal methods in Toronto. This is achieved through ongoing art-making workshops and regular updates to the website www.polymersinaction.ca.”

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