Not So Harmless

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Not So Harmless
4 in
x
10.5 in
x
9 in
(10 cm x 27 cm x 23 cm)
Year
2021
Photo Credit
Stephen Cummings
Price
$0.00
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Sea urchin spines can be harmful to human feet, but their shells are fragile and quite beautiful, like our environment. Conversely, antibacterial hand wipe "fabric” seems fragile, but is quite strong. It clogs sewers and waterways, and damages the marine environment. Due to COVID control protocols, in 2020 millions of antibacterial wipes were used throughout the world to repeatedly sanitize just about every surface.

Gym equipment was required to be wiped down before and after each use. Normally, I choose not to use disposable hand wipes, so I was disturbed by the amount of waste I generated at each gym visit. This made me wonder if they could be washed and reused to create artistic forms that weren’t disposable. We need to make everyday living practices more sustainable to ensure our earth's survival.
Materials
Washed and dyed antibacterial hand wipes, discarded used ironing board felt, thrift store embroidery threads
Techniques
Dyed, machine quilted, hand embroidered, machine sewn