June 10, 2014
Photo and Blog by Calley O’Neill with love for our Earth.
I have been working on GYRE: MOVING BEYOND ONE USE PLASTICS, an interspecies Rama Exhibition painting that is very nearly done. A German Aerospace photograph of the Hawaiian Islands taken from outer space inspired the painting. Having very carefully freehand drawn the islands as they look above and below from space, I began to paint them. Slowly and somewhat painstakingly I kept painting and wanting to know what the painting was supposed to be about. Days and weeks went by and then months and still somehow I was able to remain receptive to what this painting was about.
At the Waimea Ocean Film Festival, I saw and was deeply moved by Angela Sun’s PLASTIC PARADISE, and as disturbing as it was, I knew, the painting was about ocean plastic pollution.
We have got to move beyond using a material, our most notable, durable and versatile product invention. So, we created a product that lasts, literally, forever, and designed derivative products such as plastic water and soda bottles, food containers and plastic bags to be used for a few minutes. That’s where the problem is – the use. The problem isn’t plastic. Plastic is amazing!
So, recently I went to Healthways II in Waimea and displayed in the front was this beautiful cardboard laundry detergent by Seventh Generation. What a wonderful bottle. Well, I found out it does have a plastic bag inside (#4 so it can be recycled and a plastic cap (#4 so it can be recycled) but it’s beautiful and a big step in the right direction. The future of personal packaging is peeking out at us and it gives me hope.
Please support this effort and let’s move beyond buying one-use plastics!
Got to tell that to Brown Cow Yogurt!!! And Liteway Kefir… my favorites!
The Rama Exhibition 