Waste as Art

I Ever since seeing it in "The Power of Community" at one of our film nights, Jacquie had been keen to create a Memorial to Oil - a monument to all the things we take for granted that include oil in their makeup, from aspirin to hearing aids to soccer balls. So when Maureen had the great idea to put in an entry to the Waste as Art exhibition, it was the obvious choice!

We were an odd assortment ... a computer geek, a boilermaker, a homemaker, a psychologist, a puppetmaker, lawyer, an environmental worker and a quality manager. Little did we know that our boilermaker, Aaron, had latent artistis talents and a desire to use them.  He soon whipped up a series of designs which were fun but got our message across.

We decided to run with Memorial to Oil as we all agreed that Peak Oil is an urgent environmental issue that receives little press and we could use this angle to encourage people to 'power down'.

For a few weeks all manner of 'waste' was dumped in our carport and the journey began. The headstone was created first from polystyrene packaging and a melange of plastic. 

Next the grave - a discarded barrel mounted on a platform covered with my son's disintegrating bedroom rug.

We then set about filling the grave with things that were either made from oil or needed oil in their production. Rebecca's attention to detail meant that nothing was overlooked and everything placed thoughtfully.

And dah dah - there it was in in all its glory.

I don't think the Newcastle Arts community need feel threatened but we had a great time making our statement and playing with ideas.

After the Waste as Art exhibition our artwork was selected for the Livesites exhibition then later went on display in the Livesites office so we reached many people.

Sadly, it's now sitting on our verandah waiting to return to whence it came, but the message remains.

Here's the blurb that gave it a little more gravitas:

Oil is a resource on which the riches of the Western world are built, yet its days are numbered. 

 "Peak" oil, when half the oil is gone and the remaining resource becomes exponentially more expensive, is either mere years off, or (depending on who you talk to) has already happened. Yet it is said that a drop of oil is in virtually everything we buy, use and consume, either in the product itself, in its packaging or manufacture, or at the very least in its transport around the globe.

 How will we live in a world without oil? Do we realise just how dependent on this viscous black resource we have become? And as we know, our use of oil is also a huge contributor to the coming catastrophe of climate change.

 The purpose of Memorial to Oil is to ape humanity's imminent bidding farewell to this addictive resource - and perhaps suggest we should do so sooner rather than later! - as well as to foreground all of the items that we use every day that are actually made from it; for if oil is running out, so might the days of these items! And looking at the collection, how essential are most of them really, given the damage they cause to the environment in their manufacture, use and disposal?

 Memorial To Oil is a team effort by members of Transition Newcastle, which is part of the world-wide Transition Initiative, a grassroots movement to increase the resilience and sustainability of our communities by decreasing our dependence on oil, relocalising our services and reconnecting our communities.

 We are encouraging everyone to start to Power Down our use of oil and move to more sustainable, smaller-scale consumption and communities now; this piece is intended as a contribution to that awakening.