Plastic Fantastic Residency 2025!

Since returning from installing DistoMorph in Dogwood Crossing, Miles, I have settled into my freshly tidied studio to begin my self-awarded, self-hosted and self-funded residency on working with plastic!

 For the month of June I will be focusing on creating with plastic bottles, expanding on my previous work with soldering irons, heat guns, butane torches, fluid acrylic paint, alchohol ink, and exploring 3d pen printing. 

Soldering iron etching

Heat gun, butane torch, and alcohol inks

I first bought a 3d printing pen around five years ago, and created some elements of my exhibition Algalrhythms with it. The PETG plastic filament I was using was very brittle though, and unsuitable for many applications, and I didn’t pursue it. Flexible filament was available then, but was limited to the 3Doodler brand. For those that are unfamiliar with the technology, it's kind of like drawing with a glue gun.(Ive also tried working with a glue gun - also pretty excited about including that.)

Glue gun on organze, with silver paint highlight

Barnacles made from 3D printing pen drawn over a ball

Karina Bond, Instagram

However, I recently saw the work of Karina Bond and had another look into it, and lo! there have been developments, and flexible TPU filament is now available. So I bought myself seven 1kg rolls of brightly coloured transparent filament, and this morning had my first trial. It’s one of those things that takes you a while to slip into the groove of, so I just need to keep practicing. In many ways it is like free-motion embroidery, as you have to consider making a joining structure as you work so it hangs together. You can work it over a shaped base, which I tried today over a metal ladle, and over one of my distorted plastic bottle pieces. They easily peel off.

Inspiration board for plastic waves

The office corkboard of inspiration images and samples has undergone a revamp, and I’ve even done a wee one down in the wet studio with a piece of Styrofoam that fortuitously blew in over the weekend! I’m keen to pursue an idea that I proposed for Swell Sculpture Festival which wasn’t accepted, but I think has a lot of potential, and was probably not best presented at the time.

 I’d also like to create a special piece for DistoMorph’s time in Maryborough next year, as my brief residency there at Gatakers Artspace last year helped drive this project.

A sample worked at Gatakers Artspace

I've also been keenly watching Swapna Namboodiri, who does some really imaginitavie work with recycled plastic - I believe she is a finalist in the Australian Wearable Art Festival in August, so I'll be looking forward to seeing her entry there.

The sandwich toaster which I bought for the studio has returned after a brief sojourn to the kitchen - it is now doing what it is supposed to, and melting plastic milk bottle lids.

So I'd better get back in there and get creating!