Assemblage Development
Ideation and Initial Development
When I got home from Autumn seminar, I began to think about ways I could create a work to be displayed on the ground. I thought about what I could observe at the beach that would be a continuation of the theory I had been looking at.
I had watched an online broadcast from Whitechapel Gallery which is part of their Ways of Knowing: Water / Fluidity* series. Within the talk, Astrida Neimanis talks to the work of artist Eileen Agar and within part 1 of the 4 part discussion, she talks about the ‘wrack zone’.
The wrack line is the line of debris left on the beach by high tide. I had never considered that it had a name. The wrack line is typically made up of seaweed, shells, feathers, plastic, and other such debris which the tides and winds have carried ashore. I went to Papamoa Beach to look at the wrack line and also noticed the impressions of different sizes and depths left by people and animals walking aside and through it. In thinking how I consider the algae based bioplastic as representational of bodies of water, I noted some ideas around creating a work influenced by the wrack line and the interactions around and with it that bodies of water (people and animals) have. And also that the debris comes from the body of water that is the ocean.
Ways of Knowing: Water / Fluidity Retrieved 10 May 2023 from https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/events/big-ideas-astrida-neimanis/
I formed works in bowls and cups. It can be a bit tricky and time consuming because you have to continually move the hot bioplastic around the inside of the object used as a mould until it is cool enough to start setting and holding shape. Although I used 3 different size moulds I was not concerned about uniformity as the bioplastic shrinks and contorts to different shapes as it dries so none are ever the same when cured. I stuff the drying forms with cloth to try ensure some depth in the vessel is upheld.
The forms were dried in a room with a dehumidifier. This allows for quick drying and inhibits mould growing on them. They are quite “crispy” after being dried. With the bioplastic being hydrophilic they tend to draw in moisture when the weather is damp. Mould growth does not seem to be a problem when moisture is present after the bioplastic has been cured. The video below shows the moisture absorbed from the atmosphere being expelled from a bioplastic form. This leads to a puddle of moisture forming under some of the forms.
Testing Presentation
After making 122 pieces I tested them on different surfaces in a few different layouts. If on any type of panel there are restrictions to work within that space (they could scatter off but there would probably need to be a reason for them to do that). Setting the pieces on the glass and the white panels gave the assemblage a feeling of being a display particularly if the space was filled in a more uniform manner. I only tested the clear glass on a wooden surface and on the studio floor, neither of these are idea surfaces to have underneath, I just feel they need lighter base. I tested placing the pieces in a more inconsistent way and also tested them on my studio floor in a way that is more reflective of how seashells gather in concentration near the wrack line on the beach. I also took the pieces to the beach and set them up around a shell line. I would have liked to have spaced them out a bit more (make a longer thinner line) but it was windy and the pieces were blowing away. On the beach the work looks much more organic and like debris that has washed up.
I do like the assemblage on the white surface as I feel the details individual items can be clearly seen as well as the ooze. I like a more unstructured layout though. I also like the layout on the beach and feel it reads truer to the idea of representing the wrack line. This would probably work on the floor of the studios at Whitecliffe with the aggregate. Might need to make more for an installation, or they may be lost in a big space.
Contextual Statement
This assemblage is inspired by bodies of water and the wrack line at Papamoa Beach. This line is the ecological bridge between land and sea where organic material and other debris are deposited at high tide. The debris gathered by the artist is contained within hand-cast forms constructed from algae-based bioplastic which is an eco-friendly and biodegradable plastic alternative.
These forms represent the diverse impressions left by passers-by and inhabitants of this important part of the beach’s ecosystem. They are hydrophilic, which means they have the ability to absorb and release water from the atmosphere, making them seem like living organisms themselves.
Example showing how moisture absorbed from the atmosphere is expressed from the hydrophilic bioplastic and accumulates on the surface of the form and puddles under it..
