Plastic Sculpture with Artist in Residence- Rachel Rea

For all nature lovers, artists and practitioners, you are invited to join artist Rachel Rea on her exploration of natural phenomena and enthusiasm for recycled plastics.

The objective is to create and build a massive sculpture of a root networks for our venue feature in this years Innercity Festival. Using 3D awareness and technical skill, this is a collaborative workshop looking into the manipulation of plastics and how something wasted can become treasure in making for an installation based sculpture.

Rachel Rea is Artist in Residence at Open Source Arts, and as a part of this programme, Rachel Rea is looking into fungal network systems that trees signal to each other through the mycelia process. Using plastic (PETE) from Key Kegs, she will be using them to create huge structures for Open Source Arts in association with Inner City Festival.

For this session, participants will collaborate with Rachel in the treatment, cutting, and manipulation of plastic. During this 4 hour workshop, we will use specialist equipment in the cutting process using circular saws and in the manipulation process, soldering irons and heat tools. We will discuss the environmental impacts that plastic causes from variants in industry to domestic use. Participants are invited to bring their own plastic packages so then can use tools to sculpt with the material resulting a more in depth knowledge of the material and will leave with a fun scrap sculpture.

Participants will get advice every step of the way, including key insights on often overlooked factors including industrial tool training, recycling identification, creative exploration as well as knowledge in spatial awareness. This will be an opportunity for any creative volunteer to work to a brief in a professional environment.

Bring clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and comfortable foot wear. Please bring a selection of domestic use plastics, such as water bottles, milk bottles, packaging etc.
Bring a packed lunch as this will be held during the day with a break for lunch.

All are welcome, especially those with a desire to work in an artistic practice. Those with soldering experience are also very welcome to join.

This is a free session early on in the creation of the sculpture. Please register attendance by letting Rachel know you are joining by emailing her at: rachelrea65@googlemail.com