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What if you spent every day looking for One Beautiful Thing?

Year of Plastic

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Charity Ridpath

Newly-minted* jewelry artist Charity Ridpath endeavors to make wearable sculpture out of things we would normally discard. Takeout containers, blister packaging, supermarket produce bags, used bubble wrap, all cut down and reformed into appealing shapes, then joined together with recycled silver.

*She graduated with a BFA on May 17!

“My wearable sculptures are informed by what we as humans make to be thrown away. This past year, I collected all of the single-use plastic I used in order to better understand my own footprint. With “Year of Plastic” I transformed this collection into nature inspired, wearable compositions. I like to view these translucent forms as a hologram, a dystopian re-creation of something that no longer exists. It creates a link between the abundance of single-use plastic and nature’s destruction. Worn on the body, these pieces create an intimate relationship between the wearer and the material. I subvert the traditional ideas of jewelry as objects with value and symbols of status by replacing gold and jewels with plastic sculptures. The placement of these constructions on the body creates a visual focus on how we physically interact with packaging made of single-use plastic.The experience of wearing these pieces builds a tactile vocabulary that interrupts the common association of plastic products with convenience, and instead highlights their burden. Through this interaction with the work, I engage with the contradiction of single-use plastic; Though it plays an ephemeral role in our everyday, it has a long lasting impact on our environment and consequently, on us. “

-About the Artist

I think her idea is genius, and the pieces are really wonderful to look at. It’s clear that in addition to her message of ecological consciousness, she’s also a damned good artist. I find her pieces utterly lovely, and the plastics give them a sort of ethereal effect.

You can follow young Charity Ridpath on her website and on Instagram.

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#Repost @yearofthepig_txst with @get_repost ・・・ Introducing our next artist, Charity Ridpath! • “My work is informed by what we as humans make to be thrown away and inspired by patterns of self-organization in nature. I explore this through a collection of the single-use plastics I have used within the duration of a year. The majority of the plastic I collect is clear but through material manipulation I create compositions that take on geological and biological qualities. • These translucent, nature inspired compositions take on the quality of a hologram, a dystopian recreation of something that no longer exists. I utilize the participation of the body in my wearable sculptures to create a more intimate relationship with the material. It is through this new relationship that I engage with the contradiction of single-use plastic; Though it plays an ephemeral role in our everyday, it has a long lasting impact on our environment.” – @deartoday #yearofplastic #txstmetals #contemporaryjewelry #wearablesculptures #unconventionalmaterials #snagmember #contemporaryjewellery #conceptualjewelry

A post shared by Charity Ridpath (@deartoday) on

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These bracelets were made using fused bubble wrap. On a personal note, I am over the moon this week! I installed and exhibited my bfa thesis work @txstgalleries earlier this week, graduated yesterday, and am preparing to travel to Chicago for the @snagmetalsmith conference where I will have this and other #yearofplastic work in the Adorned Spaces exhibition! I have so many pictures I am excited to share when I catch a minute to reflect on this amazing week. In the meantime, a huge thanks to @beverlypennartist @laritzagarciajewelry and @michaelowenoneill who are all such incredible artists and educators and have fostered the amazing community @txst_metals I am so proud to be a part of. —————————————- #yearofplastic #txstmetals #txstatemetals #unconventionalmaterials #plasticjewelry #slowfashion #upcycledrecycled #contemporaryjewelry #contemporarybracelet #snagmember #adornedspaces2019

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Author: Donna from MyOBT

I have committed to spending part of every day looking for at least one beautiful thing, and sharing what I find with you lovelies!

8 thoughts on “Year of Plastic”

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  1. loisajay
    June 5, 2019 at 7:09 am

    Oh, the ‘gem’ ring. Dainty but with a statement. I like it.

    Liked by 2 people

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  2. bcparkison
    June 5, 2019 at 8:17 am

    She does have a creative mind. But they are so bulky I can’t even thing of wearing them daily…even to make a statement.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Laura (PA Pict)
    June 5, 2019 at 2:21 pm

    I love the ethos behind her pieces and all the texture that remains in the pieces because of their diverse sources. They are a bit too chunky for everyday wear but, of course, this is statement jewellery at its loudest. Based on that delicate little ring, she is able to scale down her process to make pieces that are more wearable.

    Liked by 3 people

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