PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape © Lucy Purrington
Whilst we live in a world reliant on plastic, we should treat it as an undervalued resource, to be incorporated into a circular economy, rather than discarded in landfills, incinerators, oceans, and landscapes. As an assistant at Soaring Supersaurus, a Rhondda-based community-interest-company part of the global Previous Plastic initiative, I work alongside the director, Paul Evans. Together, we find innovative ways of giving a second life to traditionally hard-to-recycle and end-of-life plastics at an accessible community level.
Our work has focused on homeware and jewellery, however we've recently experimented with melting shredded plastic waste into flat sheets, which depict abstract landscapes inspired by the mountainous views surrounding our Penrhys workshop. These creations blend sculpture and painting, transforming plastic waste into striking visual contrasts.
Our materials are collected through two routes: from our partnered organisations and local businesses in upper Rhondda Cynon Taf and via our collection hubs where anyone can donate their cleaned plastic waste. Our ethos is to redefine perspectives on plastic and its potential uses whilst keeping it in use and out of the environment.
PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape [detail] © Lucy Purrington
PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape [detail] © Lucy Purrington
PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape [detail] © Lucy Purrington
PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape [detail] © Lucy Purrington
PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape [detail] © Lucy Purrington
PURRINGTON, Lucy, Small Seascape [detail] © Lucy Purrington
Lucy Purrington, a Rhondda-based artist, focuses her work on promoting wellbeing and environmental awareness. While primarily working in photography, Purrington also creates art using recycled plastics at Soaring Supersaurus, a circular economy sustainability and arts CIC.