Plastic in art

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Within the 20th century, there came the use of plastics in art. [1] In the latter half of the century, plastic technology advanced so that it was feasible for artists to start using plastic and acrylics as an artwork medium.

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Artist Roxy Paine created a sculpture-making machine "Scumak No. 2": a large metal contraption that oozed acrylic on to a conveyor belt that jiggled slowly back and forth. The barely liquid plastic would pile up and solidify. After a few hours, the conveyor belt would move the pile forward and begin a new sculpture. RoxyPaineScumak wiki.jpg
Artist Roxy Paine created a sculpture-making machine "Scumak No. 2": a large metal contraption that oozed acrylic on to a conveyor belt that jiggled slowly back and forth. The barely liquid plastic would pile up and solidify. After a few hours, the conveyor belt would move the pile forward and begin a new sculpture.

Using found plastic

Art made of commodity materials sometimes uses found objects made of plastic. [3] [4] Plastic containers are useful in papier-mâché for building frames. [5]

Environmental artists are using salvaged beach plastic to create art as a means of bringing awareness of plastic pollution in Earth's oceans. Examples include: Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang, members of Women Eco Artists Dialog, and the photography of Chris Jordan.

Use of liquid acrylics

Liquid acrylics can be used to create two- and three-dimensional plastic images and objects. Artist, Tyler Turkle, pours multiple thin layers of pigmented liquid acrylic to form sheets of plastic that result in paintings and sculptures. After adequate drying time between applications, these solid plastic sheets can be readily peeled off most surfaces and re-adhered to others. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is used as an engineering plastic, and it is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Hesalite, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, and Perspex, among several others. This plastic is often used in sheet form as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It can also be used as a casting resin, in inks and coatings, and for many other purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronze sculpture</span> Sculpture cast in bronze

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamination</span> Technique of fusing layers of material

Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials, such as plastic. A laminate is a layered object or material assembled using heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. Various coating machines, machine presses and calendering equipment are used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papier-mâché</span> Paper-based construction material

Papier-mâché, frequently written as paper mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, and bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paper craft</span> Making of artistic works entirely or primarily of paper

Paper craft is a collection of crafts using paper or card as the primary artistic medium for the creation of two or three-dimensional objects. Paper and card stock lend themselves to a wide range of techniques and can be folded, curved, bent, cut, glued, molded, stitched, or layered. Papermaking by hand is also a paper craft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Hesse</span> German-born American sculptor and textile artist (1936-1970)

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Roxy Paine is an American painter and sculptor widely known for his installations that often convey elements of conflict between the natural world and the artificial plains man creates. He was educated at both the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico and the Pratt Institute in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upcycling</span> Recycling waste into products of higher quality

Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value.

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Will Ryman is an American artist known for his large-scale sculptures and public art projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painting</span> Practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface

Painting is a visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface. The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and airbrushes, may be used.

Resin casting is a method of plastic casting where a mold is filled with a liquid synthetic resin, which then hardens. It is primarily used for small-scale production like industrial prototypes and dentistry. It can be done by amateur hobbyists with little initial investment, and is used in the production of collectible toys, models and figures, as well as small-scale jewellery production.

Tim Scott is a British sculptor known for his abstract sculptures made from transparent acrylic and steel. While studying architecture, Scott also studied sculpture part-time at Saint Martin's School of Art with Sir Anthony Caro, where he also later taught. Inspired by the example of David Smith, Scott began to make sculptures using materials such as fibreglass, glass, metal, and acrylic sheets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation and restoration of outdoor artworks</span>

The conservation and restoration of outdoor artworks is the activity dedicated to the preservation and protection of artworks that are exhibited or permanently installed outside. These works may be made of wood, stone, ceramic material, plastic, bronze, copper, or any other number of materials and may or may not be painted. When applied to cultural heritage this activity is generally undertaken by a conservator-restorer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acrylic embedment</span>

Acrylic embedment is a process of encapsulating various objects into lucite. The process is used for preserving specimens, encapsulating electronics, and making decorative items such as trophies and jewelry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation and restoration of plastic objects</span>

Conservation and restoration of objects made from plastics is work dedicated to the conservation of objects of historical and personal value made from plastics. When applied to cultural heritage, this activity is generally undertaken by a conservator-restorer.

Pam Longobardi is an American contemporary artist and ecofeminist, currently living and working in Atlanta, Georgia. She is known internationally for sculptural works and installations created from plastic debris, primarily from marine and coastal environments, as a primary material. Much of her work includes community-based research, such as carbon or plastic audits, as well as collaborative art creation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Black (sculptor)</span> American sculptor (1928–2023)

David Black was an American sculptor known for both, his pioneering, avant-garde use of plastics and his monumental, aluminum, large scale public sculptures.

Judith Selby Lang is an American artist and environmental activist working with found beach plastic. Selby Lang is known for sourcing beach plastic from a single site: 1000 yards of Kehoe Beach along the Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, and then turning that plastic into artworks. Selby Lang works both independently and with her partner Richard Lang.

References

  1. Mustalish, Rachel. "Modern Materials: Plastics". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Sherman Fairchild Center for Works on Paper and Photograph Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Roxy Paine | Acrylic Art | Plastic Artwork. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. Paine, Roxy. "Roxy Paine - Scumak No. 2, Auto Sculpture Maker 1998-2001". YouTube. MediaArtTube. Roxy Paine | Art | Acrylic Art. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  3. curatorial, intern (9 August 2010). ""Found Art" and Commodity Sculpture". New Britain Museum of American Art. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. Valentine, Ben (26 August 2015). "One Artist's Quest to Turn Beach Plastic into Art". Hyperallergic. Ben Valentine. Art | Roxy Paine | Plastic in Art | Acrylic Art. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  5. "PAPER MACHE VASES FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES". Creative Jewish Mom. Creative Jewish Mom. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  6. Kaplan, Steven. "Plastic Water— The Last Criterion, Greenberg Wilson, New York, September 7 to October 7, 1989" (PDF). etc. erudit. p. 4. Retrieved 21 October 2016.