Creature from the Gyre

15"H x 11"W x 6"D
2020

HEAD: gilded plastic french fries NY, NY ✦ NECK: rubber car part LA, CA ✦ LIMBS: miscellaneous action figure finds and donations ✦ TORSO: juice container ✦ INNARDS: miscellaneous plastic street finds ✦ LEG BINDING: garden find Pasadena, CA ✦ ✦ SIGNATURE: stamped copper coin

While Covid-19 is having tragically devastating humanitarian effects on our societies, few of us are looking beyond the immediate crisis to the devastating longterm effects on our environment. The proliferation of single-use plastics in keeping us safe from the virus will have extreme effects on all living beings on the planet. Hand sanitizers, wipes, face shields, gloves, medical supplies and even some face masks are made of plastics. The negative health effects of micro-plastics in our food chain is extensive and becoming more obvious.

With that in mind "Creature from the Gyre" is made entirely from discarded plastics parts and bits that I have found on my travels. There is something beautiful and terrifying about this talisman . It comes from the depths of the ocean's plastic gyres; from the depths of our dormant consciousness.

Its been over 20 years since I started creating Talismans from the detritus I have found on my walks, travels, detours, escapes, missteps and planned migrations. The series has become a benevolent battalion of shamanistic figurines with a purpose. Talismans come into the world ready to work and jest. They are imbued with mystery and a desire to heal and motivate.