The Leader Frankston - Glacier Exhibition interview

January 30, 2017

Leader 
COMMUNITY NEWS

South East

Carolyn Cardinet’s immersive artwork `Glacier’ highlights impact of plastic contamination

Christian Tatman, Frankston Standard Leader

AS A painter, Carolyn Cardinet found that the canvas simply wasn’t big enough for her imagination.

“Often painting is representative, but I needed it (art) to be immersive,” she told the Leader.

“That’s what I wanted to create with painting, but it wasn’t enough.

“You can only go so far with painting. I was a bit stifled.”

So five years ago, Cardinet moved from away painting and subsequently completed both a Bachelor and Masters of Visual Art.

Her latest project titled ‘Glacier’ — on display at Frankston — is a collaboration with multimedia artist Angela Barnett.

Cardinet said she came up with the concept after walking along a beach and being struck by the sheer amount of plastic debris that had washed up.

She hoped the artwork, which fuses sculptural forms and projection, would encourage patrons to think about how humans were contributing to plastic contamination that was melting glaciers and

ruining the food chain.

‘Glacier’ uses discarded plastic waste and polystyrene boxes found scattered around Port Phillip Bay.

It also incorporates Barnett’s projected images of diminishing glaciers.

“You have plankton eating the plastic, fish eating plankton and who eats fish? We do,” Cardinet said.

‘It’s quite amazing the impact of it.”

Cardinet said she wanted ‘Glacier’ to be viewed as both an environmental statement and artwork.

See Glacier at Cube 37’s ‘Glass Cube Gallery’, Davey St, Frankston, until February 16.

Cardinet and Barnett will discuss their artwork at a free talk at Cube 37 on Saturday, February 11, at noon as part of the Sustainable Living Festival 2017. Bookings preferred: 9784 1060