Lost But Found Again – Recycled Environmental Art. By Diana Eid
While we all try and do our part to save the environment, artist John Dahlsen makes art from it. He actually scours the beaches in order to find material to use for his unique artwork.
From the artist statement;
“My creative medium changed to found art as a result of one such ‘accident’ in 1997. I was collecting driftwood, on a remote Victorian Coastline, with the intention of making furniture and stumbled upon vast amounts of plastic ocean debris. A whole new palette of colour and shape revealing itself to me immediately affected me. I had never seen such hues and forms before.??Since then, I have scoured Australian beaches for found objects, which I bring back to my studio to sift, sort and colour-code for my assemblages, sculptures and installations.
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As I work with them in my studio I become even more fascinated by the way they have been modified and weathered by the ocean and nature’s elements.
My challenge as an artist is to take these found objects, which might on first meeting have no apparent dialogue and to work with them until they speak and tell their story.”
This work was made from found driftwood objects collected from Australian beaches. ??From the artist statement; “My creative medium changed to found art as a result of one such ‘accident’ in 1997. I was collecting driftwood, on a remote Victorian Coastline, with the intention of making furniture and stumbled upon vast amounts of plastic ocean debris. A whole new palette of colour and shape revealing itself to me immediately affected me.
I had never seen such hues and forms before. Since then, I have scoured Australian beaches for found objects, which I bring back to my studio to sift, sort, and colour-code for my assemblages, sculptures and installations. As I work with them in my studio I become even more fascinated by the way they have been modified and weathered by the ocean and nature’s elements. My challenge as an artist is to take these found objects, which might on first meeting have no apparent dialogue, and to work with them until they speak and tell their story.”
“The Guardian” is a public work of art that is made from recycled leftover road construction materials, mostly consisting of guard-rails and concrete pipes. It is located next to Story Bridge in Brisbane. The artist was commissioned by the Brisbane City Council to recycle the leftover materials from road intersection construction being done at the time. ?
The five totems in “Primary Totems” are made from found plastic objects and stainless steel. About this work: “These totemic sculptures were the next series of works following on from my assemblage wall works, which began as my creative medium shifted from abstract painting to working as an environmental artist, as a result of an artistic accident during the mid 1990’s. I was collecting driftwood, on a remote Victorian Coastline, with the intention of making furniture and stumbled upon vast amounts of plastic ocean debris.”
John Dahlsen was the first Australian artist to be commissioned by V & S Absolut Spirits, Sweden to create a work of art. Other artists, such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente and Damien Hirst were also previously chosen to create art for Absolut.
