Carolyn Cardinet: Visual Art Blog

Installing my residency work  'Monuments to Footscray'  Today the Footscray Library Courtyard was transformed from this to this

The story behind this artist residency at Artsbox has been captured in a short film format for you to view Thank you Dan Rozario for doing a fabulous job on this video: The Beauty of Trash Artsbox Artist Residency                                                        To view click on Vimeo link below                                                              http://vimeo.com/112121383

Last Day Artwork finished! A few locals came in to see the close to finished work ' Monument to Footscray' during the day. An installation of three totems to create awareness on local plastic consumerism which is spreading across the World.  The work will be on display at the Footscray library in the courtyard from Monday 23rd November 2014

Scavenger Days are nearly OVER One of my last day picking up rubbish today I have concentrated in the last minute design of the Totem and went to pick up flatten plastic bottles Photo by Debbie Punton Today the lovely warm weather brought many visitors, some recurring friendly people, to the studio. Many budding artists live in the area and use the #FootscrayLibrary extensively I must say that the library has an amazing program catering for all the communities from the Maribyrnong area. Here are some photos of the flatten bottles gathered from one area along French Street( how appropriate). This was before a lovely vietnamese lunch at #PhoHungVuongSaigon next to Nab at 128 Hopkins st, right opposite #Trocadero and #FiveWalls galleries. I always love coming to this restaurant where the locals go and have never been disappointed. That was after I took my friends on a tour of my favorite Footscray market #LittleSaigonMarket where the products are soooo fresh they are still

Plenty to find and put together 

Lots to find yesterday Last week of the residency and speeding to get to the finishing line Working out how to display and hang some of the plastic bits found Drill, straps, fishing line and glue are all in action in the studio this week Here are some of my finds Black and White: Plastic plate Straws Knife Coffee cup lids Soft drink lids Beer pack plastic holder Texter Bell Plastic strips

Made a green seat to match #Artsboxmcc new green space and will make another one tomorrow to display together on the crates our new terrace addition that is in the shade! A blessing on a hot day...

Cold and rainy the day started,  I decided to go to the studio late which paid of as I came across all this plastic trash  Black: Knife Hanger Straws Packaging strap White: Coffee lids Soft drinks lids Seringe Seringe packaging Packaging strip Straws Knife  Lids Plastic bag Bubble wrap 

Today I met some lovely locals whom wandered into Artsboxmcc. Sold a necklace to Matthew and spoke to Katie a freelance writer. I continue developing the totems and have secured their lining.

First day Gleaning and harvesting the plastic trash found on the streets around my new studio Discovering my new surroundings, I walked for 1.1/2hour and have gathered a promising amount of found plastics objects.Such as: Black: Agi pipe Straw Take away coffee lid Window Rubber Shoe bow Corners Rubber Fork White: Packaging Straps Fork Straws Bottle Lid Mc Donald's drink cup lids Take Away coffee lids Industrial lid

Walking tour Footscray Today as a new resident, I joined a council walking tour of Footscray the tour led us from the Footscray Town Hall to Hopkins st bridge by Amanda Morgan then the wall painting that can be seen from the bridge intersection by  Conrad Bizjak  and then up to the library to see the tree lanterns by Jessica Kelly to end up at my  at #Artsboxmcc artist residency studio. Look up www.facebook.com/StreetworksMCC

Mapping Footscray through my walks Enjoy Bettle leaves on rice noodles for lunch packaged in a sustainable and compostable container Black: Knife  Bottle cap Bits Reflector White: Spoon Packaging strips Pipe Take away coffee lid Take away soft drink lid Straw Packaging strap

Getting better everyday! This lovely studio space has a new outdoor green space  From this: To this:

Taking shape This morning the 'Monument to Footscray', my ephemeral totems work is progressing. Putting together slowly but surelly the gathered #Plastics of my #FootscrayLife. In a week or so this work will be finished and ready to be displayed in #Footscray.

Quiet day at studio Thought a lot  Network with peers  Thinking  And found these Black Packaging straps  Coffee lids Coke lid Succession caps White Forks Soft drink lids Packaging straps

Another hot and glorious day today Starting the totem making and lining Working with the materials found Great to work with what you have and not what you can buy

A beautiful day in Footscray, further building my totems which I have lined with a different plastic lining each. Lots of people coming in the studio today!  Perhaps this is due to the article on Artsbox artist residency in the Star Weekly November 5, 2014 printed issue by Benjamin Millar and the lovely photo taken by photographer Joe Mastroianni as seen below. Read on:

Another Beautiful Day in #Footscray ! Enjoying the library for reference books Walking the streets for materials Building totems to connect old and new generations of the community living in Maribyrnong Black: Packaging Straps White: Packaging Straps T/A coffee cup lids Soft drink cups lids Bubble Wrap Food container lid  Lid Straws  Spoon Rope 

Had really lovely visitors today including Nick from Footscray West who talked to me about the old country- Italy....then an artist who 's work is in show at the Dax centre... Also a poet, Julian who is torn between his love of the word and the reality of working full time... Amazing to have the time to engage with people as normally in the solitude of my studio no one comes or is invited to come as making art take a lot of mind space and concentration to develop ideas, trying, failing, starting again, failing again, writing and failing. Therefor no one is actually welcome unless one is stuck so #artsboxmcc is a welcome change to explore further and further the market, the food, the area, the people, community and surroundings of #footscray, Today my pursuit was for large plastic sheets of #plastic wrapping/packaging material that I could possibly use to diffuse the light in my 'Monument to Footscray' or   totems structures. Happy to have found some and here they