Exhibition tackles tide of plastic waste
Sun, sea, sand – and plastic. Tony Henderson previews an upcoming exhibition
Morning swimmers enjoy the bracing experience of taking a dip off North East beaches.
But all is not as it seems as swimmer Jackie Sewell discovered.
Jackie runs the plastic-free and sustainable living outlet Buy the Kilo at Tynemouth Station and swims from Cullercoats Bay.
She gathered a sample of sand from her wetsuit and had it microscopically examined by Newcastle University.
“This showed grains of plastic in among the sand, which obviously has a very harmful impact on sea life,” said Jackie.
Now Jackie and artist friend Ali Elly have organised an exhibition on the theme of plastic pollution and coming up with solutions to the widespread environmental problem, including cutting use of the material and recycling.
No Time for Waste at the Old Low Light heritage centre on North Shields Fish Quay runs from April 3-18.
It follows No Time for Waste all-day events over the last two years at the Linskill Centre in North Shields, which each attracted around a thousand visitors.
Jackie said: “The two events at the Linskill Centre created so much interest and brought together so many environmentally conscious people, that we thought an exhibition would be a great follow-on to continue this important conversation.
“The exhibition venue is ideal, overlooking the river, sea and coastline, which are all impacted by pollution. It is about plastic and the effects it is having on our environments.”
The exhibition includes a proggy mat and a quilt made from waste plastic. “These sort of items used old clothing and cloth and were original forms of recycling,” said Jackie.
There will also be a fishing net created from plastic bags cut into strips and examples of work by Ali, who lives in Cramlington.
She runs Ali Elly Design, produces scientific marine illustrations, studies endangered sea species and creates environmental marine art.
Ali, who regularly organises beach clean-ups, said: “Whether we like it or not, plastic is there but if everyone just changes their habits in a small way we can make a real difference.”
In its seven years since being set up, Jackie’s Buy the Kilo shop, open Thursday to Sunday, has displayed more than 60 exhibitions on its wall gallery by environmental artists.
“At Buy the Kilo we help people reduce single-use plastic in the home with our eco-friendly items and refill essential products,” said Jackie.
On April 14 from 12.30 to 2pm there will be a free workshop when visitors of all ages are invited to help paint a giant mural on linen of the sea.