Carolyn Cardinet: Visual Art Blog

These portraits in a sense interrogate our social landscapes of consumption I have been traveling for a month long everyday  from Bethesda - Friendship Height metro station to Rhode Island stop and then take the bus down to 34th St off Rhode Island avenue twice a day. During these trips I had the occasion to see all kind of characters coming in and out of the bus and being the minority aboard the bus in this area. These rides gave me the opportunity to try something I had wanted to try for a while.  Making portraits out of single-use plastic waste.  So this artist residency at the Red Dirt Studio as well as the plastics found on the streets around the studio was the perfect time and allowed me to do this side project. Like sketches for further enquiry these portraits were done as preliminary drawing studies for further enquiries when I am back home.

As the Waste Gateway is being installed social media notices this surplus Plastic! Yes I know but these single-use plastic fruit and veges packaging are there to remind everyone how ridiculous our consumerism has become with packaging, here and around the world!

The podcast for my interview by Jean-Noel Ducasse on SBS French radio  is now available for listening in French at  french_170123_620483.mp3

Here are some lovely photos taken by Sustainable Living Festival 2016 for the Great local lunch at Birrarungmar Mar Being involved again this year in this lunch event has been a delight especially working with Riki to produce a decoration that would bind packaging waste and organic matter for 200 guests. The brief was that each pieces would be In itself a message to create awareness about single-use packaging and a gift to our guests. A waste free lunch in a sense. It has been a very rewarding and eye opener experience to participate in this event. To be at the lunch and hear some of the great  sustainable steps of the growers themselves as well as the gourmet ideas that the chefs used on the day with the donated products to produce an innovative and absolutely delicious luncheon.  It was refreshing to hear passionate people talking about their own product and their love for their food. These ideas of organic production have germinated, grown and have come to life in the last ...

Planting Away Our seedling (Thanks to Deb Punton @Greensong) and dressing them up in our take-away  pots with single-use packaging made of paper and of plastic is a colourful adventure well for me at least as you know lately my art has been very monochromatic white or black (inspired by Louise Nevelson's works no doubt) and a love of my past work in the the Haute Couture and Parisian fashion of the 1980's. This adventure is a fun break for a cause that is close to my Heart and Art. So I will be at the Great Local Lunch this Sunday 14th February 2016 at 12.30pm for a fabulous occasion promoting gorgeous organic food a plenty and simple sustainable living. If you would like to visit come around 11am when I will be setting up the table with Riki Eldenstein (SLF) whom invited me to participate in the making of a 200+ guests table centre piece. Riki  has been working of several project for the Sustainable Living Festival and is organising this year's beautiful event The Gr...

Two years ago I had the privilege to be asked to put up a show for the Sustainable Living Festival and this year I am participating in the decor for the 200 guests+ table for the Great Local Lunch  which will allow me to use many of the single-use packaging I have gleaned, foraged and collected the last few months. The event will take place Subday 14 February at Birramung Mar. If you would like to win 2 tickets enter this events look through the website  During the month of February 2016 many events will take place a calendar of venues and events is available on the  website: Slf.org