Sunday, December 12, 2010

Climate and our oceans

Wow! Last week was a week to be remembered!! With the successful and inspiring commencing of the first Climate Fluency Exchange and the opening of Plastikos at the Two Oceans Aquarium, it was a week for our planet in Cape Town. Read more about the week at www.dontcopoutcopart.blogspot.com


Participants during a creative expression session reflecting on the week's talks, realizations and thought, during the final day of the first COPART Climate Fluency Exchange (image from the COPART blog)

This week don't miss the Public presentation on 14 December: Meet 5 Gyres Institute founders Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, which will be held at 1pm at the Metropolitan Health Group and Qualsa Think Tank, Two Oceans Aquarium.

Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen (image from Two Oceans Aquarium)


I had a read this morning on Simon Bannister's blog. Here is an excerpt:

We have to move forward
It is the way
Round and round
Together we swim
Predator and prey ,
With every turn, the hunger burns
Yes and no, light and shadow.

Reflections true, in hope’s heart they flicker
The picture is complete but the pieces too many.
Scattered like dust, they swirl and fracture
shards of progress, fire moulded to desire.

These banished goods, now cast into the darkness
Broken and twisted, come back to haunt us.
Now, we gaze upon an alien world.
Poison in our spaceship dear, attacked by the virus of fear
The monster must be overcome, it’s treasure won.

Nature’s indifference, moves with the elements
Cause and reaction say, all is fair while forever at play
And where can we find common ground?
Oh yes, once more we swim around.



Read the rest on his blog: www.simontothemax.blogspot.com

...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Friday, December 3, 2010

Check out CURB


From sandcastles to dirt-stenciling, Curb is doing advertising naturally. Here's a blurb from their What we Do page:

A natural media company

So what's the twig idea? We want to prove that effective and engaging media can be natural and sustainable. To realize our goal, we have a wealth of operational, media and production expertise in every natural material you can imagine. Whether it’s covering a building in flowers, building an exact replica of Windsor castle out of sand or creating a fully fledged amazonian forest in a city centre we can help advise on any creative brief and deliver it naturally and flawlessly.


Check them out at www.curbmedia.com
Let's do this in South Africa too!

Monday, November 22, 2010

First COPART Climate Fluency Exchange!



The first Connecting Our Planet & Re-imagining Together (COPART) Climate Fluency Exchange (CFE),
scheduled from the 4th-10th December 2010, in Cape Town. The CFE aims to turn complex climate change information into accessible ways of knowing, as well as accessible practices in our lives. The CFE facilitates a transdisciplinary intersection between scientists and artists; activists and creatives as well as the general public.

This CFE is the first of seven scheduled between December 2010- December 2011, these are week-long social learning processes that facilitates creative and innovative participation and learning for artists, activists, scientists and the public. This event is also strategically scheduled to run concurrently with the COP16 climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. Activities, concepts, ideas, comments and other forms of communication will be sent to a parallel exhibition within COP16.

There will be interactive public activities scheduled for the weekend of the 4th-5th of December, which include public artworks and mobile installations/performances on trains, by the sea side, within the Company gardens and at Iziko Natural History Museum. The rest of the week we will offer a variety of different talks, presentations, film screenings & other showings of artworks/performances.

What makes this week different is that there will be facilitated artful processes that will encourage participants to explore various different artistic genres and "ways of knowing", the turn the information we will be exchanging, into real lived alternatives or practices.

If you would like to know more or find out details on how you can participate contact Dylan armadylan@gmail.com

The COPART CFE is kindly funded by:

Don't miss the Hout Bay Green Faire!



Have a look at this call for participation for the Hout Bay Green Faire! This looks like it could be a lot of fun!! Get in touch with them ASAP at info@envirochild.org, 072 797 0904 or 021 790 6696 if you're interested...

Please join us to trade or participate

in the HOUT BAY GREEN FAIRE

on Sat 27 Nov

at Kronendal Primary school, Hout Bay
Please see invite attached...

We are desperately looking for artsist who can put up, or make a installation out of recycled materials on the day.

If you require any information please do not hesitate to contact us....

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The first annual Eco Kids Film Initiative is CALLING FOR ENTRIES.


EKFI is scheduled to take place from October 3 to October 7, 2011, in Cape Town, SA.

Through films that are entertaining, educational, and above all inspirational it is EKFI’s goal to inspire real change through the children of today and generations to come by promoting a proactive strategy to environmental awareness through film as medium. As part of our outreach programme the selected films will also do a short (no more than five screenings) tour of township schools after the official film festival.

The films should be between 2 minutes to 15 minutes in length. We accept documentaries and narratives that are either live-action or animated. The films should be made with children in mind; not necessarily be about children. There should be a strong environmental theme, which could be about a particular environmental issue, for example pollution, recycling, organic farming; about the beauty of nature; or about a community, organization or individual that is making a difference.

Entries should reach us no later than 28 February, 2011. The filmmakers will be notified no later than 31 July, 2011.

For more information and the entry form please visit:
http://whileyouweresleeping.wordpress.com or email Tarien Roux info.ekfi@gmail.com

I saw this on the Cape Town Talent Exchange Announcements list, and immediately decided to post it here so more people can see:


"PLEASE DONATE PRIZES


Western Cape-based NGO, Soil for Life exists to help alleviate poverty and hunger in the area by teaching people to grow their own food.


We’d like to reward the Best Soil for Life Home Food Gardeners for 2010 by awarding some really useful prizes at our annual prize-giving. If you can assist us with prizes – or know a business that can donate any of the following in good condition (new or used) - we would be very grateful: small kitchen appliances or cooking pots and utensils, bedding, clothing for adults and children, good books, toiletries and dry food stuffs.


We are also prepared to swap some of our talents for suitable prizes and collect donations in the area.


Your donation will be appreciated and acknowledged. Donations are required by Friday, November 19, 2010.


Soil for Life has helped hundreds of people to build up poor soil, dig trench beds and cultivate seedlings outside their homes to grow good, organic veggies. This means that fewer families are going to bed hungry and more people are eating healthily. In addition, people are being taught to use the exchange system to build community spirit. Skills taught include hot box methods of cooking to save on electricity, food preserving methods to deal with surplus crops, creative use of waste and a lot besides.


Visit www.soilforlife.co.za to read more."

Friday, November 5, 2010

Tyres and clay = building a centre!




Yesterday I went with Nick Ralphs from Tierra Construction Projects to look at the earth-tyre recycling centre that they're putting up in Khayalitsha. The walls are made up of tyres, earth and hard labour. They are stacked like bricks and then earth beaten in to fill each tyre - each tyre gets about two and a half wheelbarrow's worth of earth!!

They’re doing this as an iniative with one of the major waste recyclers where they will set up a ‘swop-shop’. The concept is that they will trade defective, but usable, waste-products (like pens with the logo on skew, etc) for tins, bottles, etc. This is targeted mainly at the local schools and children. It is intended that some of the revenue generated from the collected recyclables will pay a small wage to the centre manager/ess.

Nick from Tierra, and David - the other driving force behind the project - are currently receiving no funding, and are funding the project themselves. Most of the labour is voluntary too, and this is really hard work! I am currently recruiting and looking for artists who would love to join in with the final stages of their project, when the structure and openings between the tyres will be filled with tin cans, clay and straw, and creative adornments such as mosaic added (see an example of an 'earthship' below). I believe that it's going to be a lot of fun and that this is a really worthy project to be part of.

If you want to assist in any way or can help with funding/fund-raising, contact Nick Ralphs at 021 396 2577 / 084 280 7028, or info@tierraprojects.co.za. If you're an artist and would like to get involved on the fun, creative side, then contact me, Janet, at artlovenature@gmail.com.


earthshiphomes.info

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Robyn Field's Artworks from computer waste


Tracks
by Robyn Field


Saturday 10am
by Robyn Field


Formal Settlement
by Robyn Field


Escape At Sunrise (Detail)
by Robyn Field


Escape At Sunrise
by Robyn Field


Cumulitive Advantage by Robyn Field

Read about Robyn Field on the Ecojunki website's creative page!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Creative Recycling - get creative!


It's the new "fashion", the new solution, the new right-thing-to-do. Using things that we usually thrown away to create things we can use and appreciate in our homes and as part of our lifestyle.
/// Lampshades, decorative flowers and baskets made from plastic bottles.

/// Cups, containers and flower vases made from empty glass bottles.

/// Sculptures, plant holders, crafts and accessories made from tin cans, milk cartons and plastic.

...and loads more!
Walk through craft shops and markets and think of ways to use plastic containers, glass, milk cartons and other reusable waste. Go to the library and get a book on crafts.


Get creative!
If you don't have the skill or know-how to do these things yourself, get someone to help you! It can be lots of fun and it could even become a weekly get together between family or friends to create new things from waste. The possibilities are endless.

Always remember to adhere to safety precautions and user instructions when working with sharp tools and also when cutting tin - wear gloves and be extremely aware and careful!

PLASTIKOS URGES AQUARIUM VISITORS TO CONFRONT THE MONSTER OF WASTE











In recognition of National Marine Month this month the Two Oceans Aquarium invites visitors to discover creatures from the mythological floating island of waste called Plastikos. Produced by Simon MAX Bannister, Plastikos is a unique exhibition that aims to raise awareness about waste – particularly plastic and micro plastic – and its impact on the oceans, all through art. The works are made from reclaimed polyethylene plastic which MAX collected by hand from the shorelines, roadsides and landfills of South Africa. Plastikos will be on display in the Aquarium until the end of January 2011.

Incorporated into the Atlantic Ocean Gallery of the Aquarium, Plastikos includes giant sculptures, a spectacular backlit plastic rendition of the Earth as well as the entangled mesh of rope and debris entitled “Tangled”. Visitors come face-to-face a with a massive 10-metre long "Dragon" which represents the monster of waste that must be confronted and overcome. Suspended above the touch pool, the dragon shares his lair in the air with a manta ray. The manta ray piece is based on a trawl device which is being used in research on plastic pollution in the oceans (see http://5gyres.org/get_involved/travel_trawl). Before being suspended, the manta ray creation was trawled around Table Bay harbour and collected a variety of micro plastics and other litter which have been incorporated into the exhibition.


Other elements of Plastikos include a microcosm of a littered beach to illustrate how our beaches are turning to plastic as a result of the careless disposal and poor management of plastic waste. The items on display were all collected from Muizenberg beach. In addition, one of the Aquarium’s existing cylindrical exhibits has been transformed into an eerie display of tangled and twisted rope, interwoven with micro plastics to form a ‘ghost net’. Similar nets can be found drifting in the major currents of the world, collecting smaller broken plastic pieces along the way.


According to MAX, “I have always hunted waste... my journey has taken me along the coastlines of South Africa, the relentless rugged and beautiful headlands driving me on. I have made it my mission to transform the waste that I find into an art form, giving these objects new value and meaning and making them the story of my journey”. He continues, “We now know that the ocean’s living organisms have to compete more than ever to find food, and often mistake the colourful plastics as tasty bites. Micro plastics now outnumber plankton in all [of] the major oceanic gyres. Seals, birds, fish and whales unwittingly face the risks of entanglement, choking or starvation because of our ignorance of what happens to our discarded waste. Reusing the waste I have removed from the natural environment as the medium for the artworks demonstrates the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle, [which is] mixed with an environmental paradox to [help us] rethink our understanding of what plastic really is.”

The Two Oceans Aquarium urges all visitors to reduce, re-use, recycle and rethink. “While we aim to inform people about the marine environment, we also believe that we have to play a vital role in changing people’s behaviour. It is no longer enough to say to people ‘Please don’t litter’ – we have to urge them to rethink their lifestyles and to realise the power they hold as consumers,” said Helen Lockhart, Communications & Sustainability Manager for the Aquarium. “Saying no to packaging, reducing our waste by re-using and recycling and remembering that whatever we do on land, we do to the oceans, are just some of ways we can reduce our footprint on the planet”.


In conjunction with Plastikos, the Two Oceans Aquarium will be hosting the 5 Gyres team in December 2010. This team strives to bring attention to the gyres of plastic marine pollution in our oceans. In 2008, Dr Marcus Eriksen crossed the Pacific from California to Hawaii on a raft made of 15 000 plastic bottles (see www.junkraft.com). By 2010, the team has had a chance to cross three oceanic gyres – the North Pacific with Captain Charles Moore and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, and the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean gyres with their own organisation, 5 Gyres. They are currently doing a South Atlantic trip to Cape Town as the fourth leg of their five-gyre expedition, and hope to arrive in Cape Town in early December. The Aquarium will present public talks by the team and it is envisaged that members of the public will have access to the research ship on a particular day. Details will be confirmed closer to the time.


For more information, please contact:

Helen Lockhart
Communications & Sustainability Manager
Two Oceans Aquarium
Tel: 021-418-3823
Helen.lockhart@aquarium.co.za
www.aquarium.co.za








To find out more about Simon MAX Bannister’s work, visit www.maxplanet.info.

Other useful websites:

www.petco.co.za
http://www.plasticsinfo.co.za/
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/slideshows/travel-outdoors/chris-jordan-midway-birds.html

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Majestic Plastic Bag

The Majestic Plastic Bag

This is worth watching... A Mockumentary about a plastic bag's journey to the ocean and the Pacific Garbage Patch.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Another CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

INFECTING THE CITY 2011: TREASURE

Seeking visual artists, designers, architects for a public arts project


Infecting The City – the Spier Public Arts Festival is themed ‘Treasure’ for 2011. The main aims of ITC are to turn the communal spaces of our City into stimulating, creative, truly public spaces, and to put socially engaged performance and art on the streets where they are accessible to everybody. The Festival (21 – 26 Feb), which gets high profile in the media, will overlap with the Design Indaba and will serve as a streetwise counterpoint to that event.


‘Treasure’ takes in various realms of preciousness: the weird and wonderful performance and musical expressions that underlie the rich cultural diversity of our society and that are seldom seen outside of the communities in which they originate; our heritage sites; and the barely visible workers that make the CBD function. A variety of artists are participating in these realms.


Another of the areas that we are drawing attention to is the vast quantity of valuable resources that are trashed in the City, resources that should be recycled and put to good use. Throughout the Festival week a large scale durational art happening will take place: a selection of artists from diverse backgrounds will work with discarded recyclable materials on the Cape Town Station Forecourt – a huge paved area traversed by thousands of people everyday. We are seeking artists who would like to join this project.


On the Station Forecourt on Monday 21 Feb garbage will be delivered from 5 different socio-economic zones (e.g. Constantia, Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Observatory, the CBD). In advance we will have approached citizens in the 5 selected areas and mobilized them to sort their garbage into recyclable components for 2 weeks or so.


Hence we will get 5 lots of garbage that speak to the demographics of consumption and wastage, kind of like an archaeological / anthropological dig into cross-sectional sectors of contemporary Cape Town society. It should provide material for interesting observation and commentary: who uses what; what does it say about lifestyles, diets etc? These demographic ‘Slices of Life’ will comprise mounds of glass, hard plastics, soft plastics, paper, metal etc.


We are putting together a collective of 6 - 8 artists from different backgrounds and with different skills to intervene with the assembled matter. The artists can tackle whatever material they like, sometimes in collaboration with one another, sometimes individually. Turning the 25-odd piles of waste into individual works over the course of the week.


The concept for this intervention is still in development. We aim to build a nuanced, punchy, intelligent framework that is accessible and stimulating to people from all walks of life. As one of the artists working on this intervention we would require you to do some preparation. It is important that the creations made out of this junk are rooted in rich conceptual ground, that they speak to concerns and critiques about our wasteful lifestyles. We are linking up with COPART – a collective of local artists and activists working around issues of climate change and holistic modes of living – and are exploring how best to make this resource available to the participating artists.


As a participant you’ll have the opportunity to get out of your studio and make provocative, socially-engaged works for 5 ½ days with a bunch of creative people on a public square with the mid-February sun smiling upon you; to engage with spectators and curious passersby; to be part of a buzzing, ground-breaking festival; and to be paid for the privilege. Are you up for it?


If this appeals to you please contact me with a CV by Friday 22 October.


I look forward to hearing from you.


Brett Bailey

Curator: Infecting The City

Email: brettbailey@thirdworldbunfight.co.za

SUCH amazing work!



Newly formed eco-art organization Such Initiative has launched “Tomorrow’s Joy”; a 100m2 recycled plastic bottle top mosaic, at Mary Fitzgerald Square on 18th September 2010. The 7 x 14m public artwork has been commissioned by Arts Alive and was made in conjunction with 8 community centers (including approximately 140 children and disabled adults) and 31 crafters from Johannesburg.

The artwork was made in 10 weeks beginning during the World Cup. It aims to use public art as a vehicle to learning about recycling and eco consciousness. Through the collection, cleaning, sorting and weaving of discarded plastic bottle tops, participants got a hands-on understanding of the value of recycling and the power of art. Such Initiative wanted to determine academically the shift in thinking and commissioned a social scientist and an environmental art education expert to investigate the lessons learnt by the participants. The findings from these reports show a clear change in their perceptions regarding waste. The reports are available www.suchinitiative.org.

The artwork is on display until 20 October 2010. The entire artwork can be recycled and is available for sale.

Such Initiative is a collaborative arts organization started by artists Usha Seejarim and Hannelie Coetzee. Their mission is to change perceptions through eco-conscious public art.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Artists: sell your work online



Want to sell your work online, but don’t potential buyers to sift through a lot of unrelated products to get to your work? Sell your work through State of the Art. They represent South African emerging artists and art graduates.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA: AFRICA SPEAKS AND CONNECTS

An artistic intervention at COP16 Cancun, Mexico, December 2010 by the
Heinrich Böll Foundation in association with COPART and the Arterial Network

Visual Arts Call for Submissions: Climate Change in Africa

The Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) Southern Africa Office will hold a visual arts exhibition depicting climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation opportunities in Africa at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Cancun, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December, 2010.

Eligible visual artworks: photographs, paintings, collages, and multimedia artworks that can be exhibited using audio visual equipment.

Themes: Impact of climate change on Water Security, Food and Agriculture, Gender, Health, Natural Resources and Biodiversity in Africa.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND GUIDELINES

A photograph of the artwork must be submitted, in the highest resolution/quality as follows:
•Image format: JPG or Bitmap, 300+ dpi, minimum size 3 MB.
•Video format: All formats, max 12 min, high resolution, up to 100MB (upload via www.yousendit.com)

Send to: Tigere Chagutah (tigere@boell.org.za) by 22 October 2010, or if more than 5MB, via free upload site: www.yousendit.com to the same address.

Owners of selected works will be notified by 29 October 2010.

COP16 Website: http://www.cc2010.mx/

COPArt is a collaboration between artists, scientists and activists in preparation for, and in response to, the COP17 climate change negotiations which will be taking place in South Africa in 2011. http://dontcopoutcopart.blogspot.com/

www.arterialnetwork.org | www.artsinafrica.com

Monday, October 4, 2010

It's going to be a fun green weekend!

The "Nature-minded Expression" event for the 350 Work Party event on Sunday is self-regulated, self-initiated and self-managed. You as artist or performer are fully responsible for your own 'piece'. The venue is the Celebrate Life festival which will be held at the River Club in Observatory, Cape Town. Remember that a strict No-Trace, No-Harm policy is being adhered to, so leave no trace, mark or residue and also do no harm to people, festival stalls, property or the area. Other than that, have fun and create awareness!!

Also remember to wear GREEN!



PLEASE HELP!

I need your help and participation for Saturday and especially Sunday! We're setting up a small space where people can join in and make things from 'waste materials' especially empty plastic bottles, milk cartons and other food packaging. So what we need is the following:

- You, please commit an hour or more of your time
- Tools like scissors and pliers
- Lots of creative ideas
- And of course any materials that you think we can use!

Please contact ecojunki@gmail.com - your help is needed to make this a success!

For more info on the festival
www.celebratelife.co.za



HUMANEARTH Exhibition #1

If you missed the HumanEarth Brainstorming session at Greatmore Studios in Woodstock, don't worry, you can still participate in the first exhibition! Planned to open on 27 November 2010 in Cape Town, this exhibition will feature new as well as existing work by local artists
focused around human interaction with our planet. Send your information, ideas or images of your art to Nastasha Daniels at nastasha797@gmail.com.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The South African Art Times



The South African Art Times publish articles, exhibition listings and an enormous amount of useful art-related information on an ongoing basis.

Global Art Information also publishes the Art Times, SA Art Information Directory, Business Art and Art Life. To be included in their exhibition listings, send your exhibition information to show@arttimes.co.za

www.arttimes.co.za

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Clocks from electronic waste



BLOCKS CLOCKS

The eWaste Dropoff facility in Claremont, down Lansdowne road in Cape Town, processes electronic waste like old computers in a responsible manner. They also make Blocks Clocks which make unique and funky gifts! These Blocks Clocks are 99% recycled material i.e. Perspec = recycled plastic as well as using old PC harddrives and mother boards.

Have a look at their website or contact them at er.ewaste.rescue@gmail.com

Friday, September 17, 2010

HumanEarth Brainstorm!

Hi everyone, there will be a brainstorm around the concept HumanEarth. This event will take place on 30 Sept 2010 between the hours 18:30 and 21:00 at the Greatmore Studios.

The purpose of the brainstorm is to explore

  • What HumanEarth means
  • Set out the basic parameters of forthcoming exhibitions
  • Network
  • Exchanging creative thoughts with other artists and participants

Address:

The Greatmore Studio
47-49 Greatmore Street
Woodstock
7915


There will be wine, music, good company and creativity. I look forward to seeing all of you.

For more information contact:
Nastasha Daniels, 084 676 1053, nastasha797@gmail.com

Thursday, September 2, 2010

12 September at Muizenberg Village Festival!



Please join at the Ecojunki participation space on the festival day! Bring waste materials and join us in being creative ;-) The details:

Muizenberg Village Street Festival!
Sunday 12 September 2010
10am - 5pm

Muizenberg Village, Palmer & Church Street, Muizenberg


If you have the time and energy to help out with the festival decor, this also promises to be lots of fun and you'll meet interesting, inspiring people! Here's the opportunities that Claire Homewood emailed to people a few days ago:

Fri 3rd Sept and Fri 10th Sept:
Elizabeth is the lovely lady running Friday afternoon programs at The Melting Pot with kids from Lavender Hill and Capricorn Park who are part of the Africa Sinomusa Foundation. The kids come to Muizenberg for an afternoon of arts, crafts and musical play.They are also given lunch sponsored by Woolworths.

For the next two Fridays we are going to combine their activities with decor making. So if you are keen to get involved in paper mache', paint, sewing of flags and loads of creative fun please come join us!!

Sat 11th (the day before the festival)
We will continue with decor making and signage making from 10am outside Roots Bar

Please bring along:
Newspapers
Useful recycling materials
brushes
fabrics
bits and crafty pieces

All help will be greatly appreciated!
more info contact Claire 074 3485744
or Elizabeth 072 6544788

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Lots of things happening in the next two months!

There is several things happening in September and October around Cape Town, and we need as many people as possible to participate and work together! Here is two of the opportunities, and there are many others by local organizations and friends, that's listed on our latest newsletter:



On 10 October 2010 people from across the planet will be celebrating and participating in events centred around creating awareness and initiating change relating to global warming. For more information go to www.350.org and sign up for an event or happening. If you're an artist and based in Cape Town, join in by conceptualizing, creating and implementing/performing a public piece on 10 October 2010 that relates to global warming. We also need a couple of photographers interested in taking great images of the event! Email ecojunki@gmail.com

More information at www.350.org/node/17116.




Wear green to show your support and enthusiasm towards saving our planet and fighting polution and global warming! Tell all your friends, family and the guy behind you in the queue! The more of us who wears green on the 10th of October, the more awareness we'll be spreading.

See the latest newsletter here
Sign up for the mailing list here

Sunday, August 15, 2010

charcoal on recycling

Debbie of life untitled has been using charcoal on her recycling. She says it's cheaper than using drawing paper. It's a great idea and asks the question: what other recyclables and rubbish can be used as canvasses for art?











This blog post is cross-posted at EcoStreet.

Friday, August 6, 2010


The honest truth: We don’t like passion. It scares us. Plain and simple.

Passion is a threat to our carefully contrived societies that rely on the mindless droning on of things we loathe. We insist on insisting that life is meant to be hard. That we were meant to work, not play; dread, not enjoy.

And as adults we keep ourselves stuck there, feeling guilty when we have wild, hilarious fun doing what we love.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Head Gardner: urban art



UK urban land artist and guerilla gardener Anna Garforth turned 2-litre milk bottles into cute characters with green hair-does and put them out in the streets for everyone to enjoy. She calls this project "Head Gardner".

[via Recyclart]

This blog post is cross-posted at ecostreet.com.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Funky collage type illustration

Came accross this really funky collage illustration made from cardboard by Neryl Walker (see her retro vintage blog here: nerylwalker.blogspot.com)




Friday, July 16, 2010


We had a small presentation at the Atlantic Seaboard Greendrinks at the Cape Creative Exhibition on 13 July and it proved to be a lot of fun. The aim was to give a basic idea of what Ecojunki stands for, and also offer ways in which you could green your creative practice, whether it be painting, making jewelery, making functional objects or any other creative form. After the talk and powerpoint presentation, tools and materials were given to all the attendees and were given the opportunity to make something from things that we would usually just throw away. This resulted in some really funky and interesting designs such as a belt with a Lion matches box as the buckle, a bird in a nest, a small handbag pouch and a hanging wall organizer!



Here is some basic tips and suggestions in greening your art or creative practice:

  • Due to the massive carbon impact of emissions from airplanes, inform buyers outside of Cape Town or South Africa that products are shipped, mule-driven and hand given, and NOT airmailed.
  • Do not wrap products in plastic - rather use re-usable, recycled or re-used packages. Make the container part of the product, and something that can be used again, and add value to your product! Also encourage buyers to recycle or re-use all packaging and containers.
  • Re-use bubblewrap and when it’s worn out, use it as one of the base materials for a sculpture (along with paper mache you could make amazing things)!
  • Don’t always use new wood in your art and for framing, but rather try use driftwood from beaches and off-cuts that are usually thrown away.
  • Whenever possible, use packaging from consumer items, found objects, plastic and other materials usually deemed useless and bound to land up on dumps.
  • Whenever and where possible use eco-friendly, bio-degradable alternatives to all materials and products:
    - Recycled paper
    - low VOC-inks
    - eco-friendly water based paints and glue
    Many stores and suppliers now offer eco-friendly alternatives, or can easily order. Or make your own!! Google for paint and glue recipes.
  • Be careful about how you dispose of your waste water after painting
  • Try use the off cuts and ‘waste’ that you produce in another new artwork
  • Recycle whenever you can. There are services in Cape Town that collect recyclable waste from your studio
  • Instead of buying palettes and mixing bowls, use packaging plastics and jam jars.

…there are SO many ways. Start looking for ways to be more eco-friendly in your art and you’ll be surprised about what you’ll realize!


Monday, July 12, 2010

Come and have fun. Be creative!

Join us at the Atlantic Seaboard Greendrinks on 13 July!

Greendrinks is an informal and comfortable gathering of people who discuss ways of doing things differently in order to tackle environmental issues.

I would love for you to bring some examples of eco-friendly art/craft/design if you have, or otherwise just join in and start creating something right there! If you don't want to participate hands-on on that night, then please join for the open discussion about environmentally conscious creative work.

We start at 18h00 at the Cape Creative Exhibition at 37 Main Road, Green Point.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Silent protest against BP OIL



www.youandifilms.com/2010/06/license-to-spill



Go and watch this video documenting a silent protest performance art piece in London, where black veiled performers spilled black molasses onto the pavement.

"Art exists to change the status quo. sometimes you have to take a moral standpoint to provide that space for questions to be raised, even though others argue that you shouldn't..."

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Meeting up!

Do you feel passionate about our environment and would love to make a difference by raising awareness for recycling & finding and promoting ways in which we could reduce pollution and our enormous masses of waste in a creative, artistic way?

Ecojunki is looking for eager people to get involved and join. You will be involved intimately with the growth and development of Ecojunki, working towards a greener future.

Come to the first Ecojunki meeting for more information, meet the other people who's interesting in joining, and for ways to get involved.

3 July 2010 at 10am
Contact Janet at ecojunki@gmail.com or 072 331 5057 for more information.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Our beautiful earth







I received these amazing images as email this morning and decided that I just HAVE to share them and make sure that more people see them. Look at this and then tell me that nature conservation is not important? We are destroying everything beautiful on our planet with pollution and our choices when buying. The solution starts with each of us, and together we make the difference.