Alison McDonald, ‘Flow’, 2010-13. Up-cycled plastic lids and cable ties, 12 x 7 m. Photo: Through the Looking Glass.

Wanton, Wild & Unimagined

Wanton, Wild & Unimagined is a playful exhibition of sculptured recycled plastics that stirs the imagination and evokes environmental reflection.

About the exhibition

Environmental artist Alison McDonald has spent many hours manipulating the humble plastic bottle, and collecting thousands of plastic lids to make a variety of unimagined and impossible creations inspired by plants, oceans and John Wyndham’s book The Day of the Triffids.

McDonald’s artwork sits at the junction of sculpture, consumer culture and environmental concern; utilising multiples of individual recycled materials to create new forms and perhaps re-shape our thinking about plastic and its effect on our environment. McDonald’s own version of the Triffids manipulate plastic bottles into large and colourful-looking plants to such an extent that their original form is lost, whereas large-scale works such as Flow and Global leave the original form intact so we can see the impact of small plastic items on an enormous scale.

By converting masses of everyday objects into visually aesthetic conceptual discoveries, McDonald’s artwork communicates the optimism in regenerating rubbish, whilst raising questions about the relationship we have with plastic and its supposed sustainability. 


Artists

Alison McDonald


Resources

Wanton, Wild & Unimagined: Interview between Louise Martin-Chew and artist, Alison McDonald

Wanton, Wild & Unimagined: education resource
Download


Tour dates

1 December 201623 January 2017
3 February9 April 2017
24 April11 June 2017
23 June30 July 2017
9 September3 December 2017
22 June5 August 2018
15 August30 September 2018
15 October24 November 2018
9 January24 February 2019
8 March28 April 2019
5 May23 June 2019
4 July19 August 2019

Acknowledgements

Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts logo
Museums & Galleries Queensland logo
Australian Government Visions logo
Australian Government Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy logo

A travelling exhibition organised by Umbrella Studio contemporary arts, toured by Museums & Galleries Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program; and supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments. 

Review Site
img3 img1