Untitled: Plastic, Nate Campbell, 2020
Much of my work consists of non-traditional sculptures, photography, along with mixed media artworks. I created this artwork in response to the prompt, “It’s a Plastic World”. In my approach to this, I was focused not only on creating a piece of work that represents the topic at hand, but I also hoped to create work that I find aesthetically pleasing. I wanted to utilize materials and methods that aren’t traditionally used in creating my sculpture.
My work was created with aspects of different influences; the materiality of Mbongeni Buthelez, the photographic style of Alejandro Duran, and the Canadian wilderness I have witnessed throughout my life. My personal style is what drew me to use a heat gun to melt plastic onto natural objects and photograph them back in their natural settings.
This work represents the conflict between our materialistic and highly wasteful lifestyles and the natural world we live in. I also hoped to highlight our impact on the natural world, along with the need to find a balance between these two extremes.