Wanton, Wild & Unimagined
Alison McDonald
Exhibition
Wanton, Wild & Unimagined is a playful exhibition of sculptured recycled plastics that stirs the imagination and evokes environmental reflection.
Environmental artist Alison McDonald has spent many hours manipulating the humble plastic bottle, and collecting thousands of plastic lids to make a variety of unimagined and impossible creations inspired by plants, oceans and John Wyndham’s book The Day of the Triffids.
McDonald’s artwork sits at the junction of sculpture, consumer culture and environmental concern; utilising multiples of individual recycled materials to create new forms and perhaps re-shape our thinking about plastic and its effect on our environment. McDonald’s own version of the Triffids manipulate plastic bottles into large and colourful-looking plants to such an extent that their original form is lost, whereas large-scale works such as Flow and Global leave the original form intact so we can see the impact of small plastic items on an enormous scale.
By converting masses of everyday objects into visually aesthetic conceptual discoveries, McDonald’s artwork communicates the optimism in regenerating rubbish, whilst raising questions about the relationship we have with plastic and its supposed sustainability.
Alison McDonald, Trickle, 2013, Individually hand cast and reduced recycled plastic lids and wire, 100 x 60 x 1cm. Photograph courtesy the artist.
Installation images of Wild, Wanton & Unimagined from Noosa Regional Gallery, Photographs by Your Life Photography. (Artwork at front: Alison McDonald, Flow (detail), 2011, Upcycled plastic lids and cable ties, 1200 x 700cm).
Alison McDonald, Flow (detail), 2011, Upcycled plastic lids and cable ties, 1200 x 700cm. Photograph: Through the Looking Glass Studio.
Alison McDonald's works can also be inspiring and educational for kids. Read more:
Education Kit
Installation image of Wild, Wanton & Unimagined from Arts Space Wodonga, Photograph courtesy of the Gallery. (Artwork displayed: Alison McDonald, Trickle, 2013, Individually hand cast and reduced recycled plastic lids and wire, 100 x 60 x 1cm. Photograph courtesy the artist).
Tour
Wanton, Wild & Unimagined toured nationally 2016-2019.
2019
Warwick Art Gallery, QLD | 4 July – 19 August 2019
Redland Art Gallery, QLD | 5 May – 23 June 2019
Dogwood Crossing at Miles, QLD | 8 March – 28 April 2019
Childers Art Space, QLD | 9 January – 24 February 2019
2018
Arts Space Wodonga, VIC | 15 October - 24 November 2018
Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa, SA | 15 August - 30 September 2018
Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery, SA | 22 June - 5 August 2018
Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery, NSW | 20 January - 13 May 2018
2017
Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW | 9 September - 3 December 2017
Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, QLD | 23 June - 30 July 2017
Noosa Regional Gallery, QLD | 24 April - 11 June 2017
Pine Rivers Heritage Museum, QLD | 3 February - 9 April 2017
2016
Coalface Art Gallery, Moranbah, QLD | 1 December 2016 - 23 January 2017
See more of Umbrella's touring exhibitions here.
A travelling exhibition organised by Umbrella Studio contemporary arts, toured by Museums & Galleries Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government's Visions of Australia program; and supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments.
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Open Hours
Tues - Fri: 9am-5pm
Sat - Sun: 9am-1pm
Gallery closed Mondays, public holidays and during exhibition install weeks.
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Contact
408 Flinders Street,
Gurambilbarra (Townsville),
Qld, 4810 Australia
PO Box 2394,
Gurambilbarra (Townsville),
Qld, 4810 Australia
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Acknowledgement of Country
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region - Bindal, Gugu Badhan, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal - as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
Umbrella is a Dealer Member of the Indigenous Art Code. This means we are committed to fair and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, and transparency in the promotion and sale of artwork. As a Dealer Member and signatory to the Code we must act fairly, honestly, professionally and in good conscience in all direct or indirect dealings with artists.
Acknowledgements
Umbrella is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, and by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments. | Umbrella is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. | Townsville City Council is a funding partner of Umbrella's program.
