Gabrielle Orsi
Bellevue Arts Museum currently is hosting a thought-provoking exhibit titled "Hidden in Plain Sight" by Seattle-based artist Maria Phillips. Intrigued by the idea of "art from trash", I went on an urban adventure to check it out.
The exhibit is inspired by the five months Maria spent as the Artist in Residence at Recology CleanScapes, where much of King County’s recycling is processed. The 75,000-square-foot material recovery facility (MRF) in South Seattle processes commercial and residential commingled recyclable materials. More than 90,000 tons of waste move through the facility each year.
One of the artworks that I found the most striking was Undercurrent: Plasticene, a huge quilt constructed from the snack bags and other single-use plastic materials that Phillilp's own household discarded over the course of a year. None of these materials can be recycled.
"Plasticene" is a name inspired by the ubiquity of plastics on earth. It plays on the term "Anthropocene," a proposed name for our current geological epoch to reflect the importance and extent of human activity on our environment.
Above and below: two views of Undercurrent: Plasticene.
Phillips also gathered plastic trash from around the globe to create art for this exhibit. Feedback Cycle- Iceland #6, shown below, was created from trash found in Iceland.
Closer to home, Feedback Cycle - Alki #7 features six-pack plastic rings, cigarette butts, and other plastic collected on Alki Beach.
Phillips, previously recognized for her work in sculpting metal, found her time at the MRF "eye opening, wildly overwhelming, but also energizing... It opened my eyes to the global issue of recycling and in doing so redirected my work, my attitude, and my understanding of this vast global system. I am working hard to understand my role, how I can help other people see the urgent need to recognize their part in this system. I want to expose the pervasiveness of the material waste and our offhanded daily contributions."
"Hidden in Plain Sight" is at the Bellevue Arts Museum now through March 8, 2020. Free tickets are available on the first Friday of the month as well as through King County Library System's museum pass program.
