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Description

Butterflies made with cap visors, candy tubes and PET bottle rings

This image is part of my "artivism" project of artworks made with nonreworked pieces of plastic waste I collect on the shores of Lake Leman, Switzerland. Art, due to its relationship to human emotion, is my preferred way to raise public awareness about the socio-ecological issues of waste and consumption, and the need for deep changes in our modern lifestyle. The public often receives factual information about these issues, but this is not enough to initiate real change. There must also be an emotional connection, and this is where art has an important role to play.

I have been involved in the organization of clean-up actions in nature with various foundations for several years, mainly on the shores of the Grangettes and the Fort Nature Reserves located in Noville on Lake Leman. Each year, several tons of (mostly) plastic waste wash up from the Rhone River and the lake’s mainstreams on these shores almost all located in an integral reserve registered as wetlands of international importance for water and migratory birds (Ramsar site). There are multiple sources of waste: littering, water treatment plants, construction sites, the industrial and agricultural sectors, and more. During site cleanups, we find considerable amounts of microplastic waste, which is especially difficult to clean due to it being deeply mixed with the soil in some areas. Microplastic is very harmful to wildlife, as it can be ingested by animals who confuse it with food sources. In addition, plastic acts as a sponge, attracting toxic substances found in water and in the natural environment. These substances, which are absorbed into the tissues, thus enter the food chain.

New species populate Lake Leman and the Grangettes Nature Reserve. Through my artwork, I aim to explore the interconnections between all living beings as well as the complex relationships between waste, creating a new ecosystem (the plastisphere), and the natural environment. I can feel the soul of every piece of plastic I find and my work is a way to give back a function to the waste, this abandoned object that has become undesirable and has lost its values, thus changing the ways in which we view it.

I share a deep connection with nature and this project was born from my sensitivity to the suffering of the Earth which I strongly feel within myself.
Modern society faces a paradox between the will to eradicate and the omnipresence of waste, which floats between oblivion and memory. Most of the waste ending up in Lake Leman and in the oceans are disposable plastics, the use of which that could be avoided. The only real solution to stop the proliferation of our waste in nature is to drastically reduce our production and consumption of plastic at the source.

To follow the project:

Portfolio & blog: recupartivisme.org
FB: www.facebook.com/recupartivism…
Instagram: www.instagram.com/recupartivis…

Follow my artwork on Facebook / Instagram

Copyright © ZephyraMilie 2019. All rights reserved. My images may not be used without my permission.

Description

Butterflies made with cap visors, candy tubes and PET bottle rings

This image is part of my "artivism" project of artworks made with nonreworked pieces of plastic waste I collect on the shores of Lake Leman, Switzerland. Art, due to its relationship to human emotion, is my preferred way to raise public awareness about the socio-ecological issues of waste and consumption, and the need for deep changes in our modern lifestyle. The public often receives factual information about these issues, but this is not enough to initiate real change. There must also be an emotional connection, and this is where art has an important role to play.

I have been involved in the organization of clean-up actions in nature with various foundations for several years, mainly on the shores of the Grangettes and the Fort Nature Reserves located in Noville on Lake Leman. Each year, several tons of (mostly) plastic waste wash up from the Rhone River and the lake’s mainstreams on these shores almost all located in an integral reserve registered as wetlands of international importance for water and migratory birds (Ramsar site). There are multiple sources of waste: littering, water treatment plants, construction sites, the industrial and agricultural sectors, and more. During site cleanups, we find considerable amounts of microplastic waste, which is especially difficult to clean due to it being deeply mixed with the soil in some areas. Microplastic is very harmful to wildlife, as it can be ingested by animals who confuse it with food sources. In addition, plastic acts as a sponge, attracting toxic substances found in water and in the natural environment. These substances, which are absorbed into the tissues, thus enter the food chain.

New species populate Lake Leman and the Grangettes Nature Reserve. Through my artwork, I aim to explore the interconnections between all living beings as well as the complex relationships between waste, creating a new ecosystem (the plastisphere), and the natural environment. I can feel the soul of every piece of plastic I find and my work is a way to give back a function to the waste, this abandoned object that has become undesirable and has lost its values, thus changing the ways in which we view it.

I share a deep connection with nature and this project was born from my sensitivity to the suffering of the Earth which I strongly feel within myself.
Modern society faces a paradox between the will to eradicate and the omnipresence of waste, which floats between oblivion and memory. Most of the waste ending up in Lake Leman and in the oceans are disposable plastics, the use of which that could be avoided. The only real solution to stop the proliferation of our waste in nature is to drastically reduce our production and consumption of plastic at the source.

To follow the project:

Portfolio & blog: recupartivisme.org
FB: www.facebook.com/recupartivism…
Instagram: www.instagram.com/recupartivis…

Follow my artwork on Facebook / Instagram

Copyright © ZephyraMilie 2019. All rights reserved. My images may not be used without my permission.