LUCINDA LINDERMAN

Inspired by the discarded things around me, I transform something thought of as waste into something desirable. Constantly frustrated by my over-consumption and production of plastic waste from packaging of consumer goods, I up-cycle my trash to create abstract sculptures. The building blocks for my sculpture come from methodically separating my trash into compost, recyclable bottles, cans and plastic; and un-recyclable packaging from consumer products. This un-recyclable plastic waste becomes the basic units of my sculptures. I also reclaim materials from dumpsters around Miami, such as plastic shrink wrap, dry-cleaning bags, and bubble wrap. I have developed different methods for creating these units including twisting and heat fusing plastic, weaving candy wrappers and plastic bags, and printing with worm castings on paper made from my junk mail. The resulting materials resemble organic materials such as lambs wool, skin, and fabric. This work questions our pre-conceived notion of waste and offers the viewer an alternative to throwing trash into a landfill. My desire is to inspire the viewer to imagine re-using his or her own waste as material. Above all, I regard my method of sculpture as a way to reduce my carbon footprint and to be accountable for my over-consumption.