Blue Vortex
“Blue Vortex” is part of the Ocean of Chaos series. This work is made entirely out of plastic shopping bags, and blue resin. All of the plastic bags are collected and recycled into a permanent sculpture, which reflects the permanence of the material.
HDPE Tree
These disposable items present nature as the spectacle of the environment surrendering to human expenditure. The relationship of trash and “tree” is one of long lasting decay. This piece is the result of consumption. Purpose unused becomes a lifetime as trash. This piece is about the unsustainable.
Plastic bottles, caps, straws, and plastic bags, constructed with resin and glue. All material from the Pratt Institute recycling initiative.
Urban Suburbia
This earthwork protests commercialization and the over use of plastic in our society. The piece reflects ideal consumer organization, kitschy interior design practices and the unnatural curation of nature in apartment plants. The anti-function of the piece makes it a humorous and entertaining spin on consumerism and sustainability. The work releases oxygen, but is not sustainable, which is less environmentally inspiring and more thought provoking. It’s light hearted nature and humor helps the viewer to indulge in it’s message.
Stacking storage bins, dirt and grass.
Plastic Bag Swing
The universal plastic bag carries, groceries, dirty laundry, and dog shit. Used daily, it is sometimes so insignificant, that it barely exists before it is trash. The symbol of consumerism is the filth of the earth. A material that lives forever, but is treated as disposable. This piece takes a common material from reality and becomes fantasy. Taking waste and transforming it into beautiful and playful imagery. A wondrous scene of nature in a secret garden of flirtation.
Over 500 recycled plastic bags. (This piece is functional up to 200 lbs)
Bio Boxes
The production of biodegradable plastic comes at the cost of omitting toxins into the atmosphere. These plastics are projected to biodegrade after 5 to 100 years. This piece serves as a viewing boxes to watch the material biodegrade, which may or may not ever happen within a person’s lifetime.
Astroturf, wood, and vinyl, filled with biodegradable natural and artificial material.
Floating Plastic Bag
A digital rendering of a plastic bag in the wind. This piece is constructed from laser cut pieces of acrylic. This piece shows the permanence of disposable plastic bag.
The Hills Are Alive
An interactive and performance sculpture, The Hills Are Alive, is a set of six foam triangles that Swistel repeatedly dyes during each performance. A study in soft sculpture, this piece is an experience of material.
Slice of Ice
Made from plaster and resin, Slice of Ice, emulates the shape of a large cruise ship, but looks like a glacier. The added stainless steel bath tub drain reveals the idea of the glaciers melting away. This piece reminds the viewer of the unsustainable environment we live in.