Urban Plastics
Walking through the city center early in the morning has been fruitful for gathering images of durable urban plastic fabrics. I say urban because they are in that space when I am experiencing them, however these materials are also experienced outside of the city. Take the lorry curtain for example, it will spend a lot of time on the motorway which generally cut through rural settings. On the motorway the lorry follows the tarmac ribbon through fields & past woodlands. We may experience the material on the move by passing by in our car or on a coach, but we may not touch it or study it for very long. We are given a small glimpse into its lifecycle as the wind of speed ripples its surface & makes the straps dance on the plastic creating identical patterns along the bottom edge by rubbing off the dirt.
The various forms these urban plastics take are interesting, seemingly flat & thin, stretched over a space. They are influenced by the wind & light, seeminly they breathe with rhythm. Strong yet fragile, they might tear or collapse. They are durable, repairable, scarred.
They fold, concertina or roll into a reduced forms that are architectural & sculptural. A screen now revealing what is on the other side.
Fabric. Industry. Fold. Safety. Concealment. Reveal.
The use & operation surrounding these materials exists in what might typically be seen as the ultra masculine spaces of Construction & Haulage. But they exhibit tender qualities that might be considered outside of or on the fringes of masculinity. Such examples might be pleating, folding, bundling, wrapping, the play of translucency, fluidity of movement, material qualities, even the fluorescent colours that come with the safety clothing that the workers wear, which are typically yellow or orange.
For me, seeing these materials in these stages of their use is important as it speaks of the tension between perceived notions of masculinity & femininity. Both traits of a binary construct exist together in one material & depending on how it is seen could be one or the other or both. Going forward this is a thread that id like to unpick within my practice. These are the materials I use or look to use. My processes & ideas around display look to impart the more tender qualities previously mentioned. Perhaps an evolved language will develop around how these materials are used as I explore their properties & how I might continue to use them. Their natural, worked state seems to provide the most interesting forms so fabricating that might be difficult. In recent studio tests I have attempted to replicate the form of the fallen scaffold sheeting that created a crumpled pile on the ground, some success was had but the authenticity of its auto creation was missing.
Similarly, the folded bundle of plastic sheeting wedged between the building & the scaffolding has a pureness of creation that is difficult to replicate because I am conscious of the form & am trying to manufacture the outcome of someone else’s practical decision. Would it be better to claim the original form & preserve it for future use, or is it so specific to that space that it can only ever exist is it does there?
