Found Compressions One and Two
Found Compressions One and Two
Compressed mixed plastics bale and film bale, cellophane_80” x 53” x 51”_Public installation_2013-14
"Found Compressions One and Two" was a site-specific sculpture consisting of two cellophane-wrapped bales of compacted mixed and film plastics. The bales were found objects produced by collaborator Loraas Recycle, the contents of which were sourced from Saskatchewan and processed in Saskatoon - a relatively new public service in 2013. The work was accompanied by a blog that served as an online public forum for and about the project, which provided a biographical snapshot of the employees of Loraas who sort Saskatoon’s recycling. It became controversial when, after a long Canadian winter, it emerged from the snow weather-beaten, like other "garbage" in the spring. The work received local, national, and international press for its politically-fraught content and general lack of visual appeal, and continues to provoke dialogues around public art, waste, and aesthetics.