Dear Plastic1

Dear Plastic

Rethinking what is really necessary

某些快樂,是可以如此找到。譬如在一年裡每天畫一條彩虹。這是Dear Plastic在這將近完結的一年裡,過往每天的習作。單是看著這些畫也能得到紓緩。

Yumi擁有藝術和教育背景,Taka是一位軟件工程師也從事設計,他在愛媛縣成長,一個著名的紙品產地,自小接觸的彷彿影響了日後的喜好。他倆在日本相識後,便移居澳洲並一起進行創作,兩人對環境保護有著同樣的堅持,成立了Dear Plastic,讓意念一同茁壯。他們教授大人與孩子運用本要拿去回收的物品,轉化成多樣的生活小物或裝飾,方法簡單就連孩子也能參與。

在2011年,他們暫別悉尼去環遊世界,探索大世界一年後回到了墨爾本定居,世界觀都在不斷更新與移動,然而對環境友善的信念堅定不移。這些塗上水彩呈漸變色調的紙材,摺成一顆顆幾何小盒子,再穿在鐵線上製成吊飾。用的是隨手可得的物料,也沒有複雜的工法,兩人還拍了短片教授紙球的摺法。單純享受著手作的美好,不追求完美的美好。「紙張是大家很常接觸到的東西,我們喜歡它既脆弱又強韌。想在作品裡展現它的雙重特質,從而改變大家對於廢棄物料的觀念。」

因信奉日本神道,其相信山水草木皆有靈,所以對萬物尊敬。因此兩人的創作理念由始至終都很簡單,便是讓人與自然和平共生。創作可能是個方法,去喚起大家對需要的意識,減去生活中所不必要的。

Dear Plastic2

There are certain habits that can bring to people happiness, for example, drawing a rainbow every day for one year. This is exactly the daily task Dear Plastic has been doing for almost the whole past year. One would easily feel relieved simply by looking at these drawings of her.

Yumi has an art and education background while Taka is a software engineer/designer. Growing up in Ehime Prefecture, an area with a proud paper manufacturing industry, Taka seems to have naturally grown an early liking for paper. After getting known each other in Japan, the duo moved to Australia and started their creative project together. Out of their shared persistence on environmental protection, they founded Dear Plastic, a project to expand their beliefs by teaching adults and children to transform recycled materials into various types of small homewares and decorations. The techniques involved are so easy that even children can handle without difficulties.

In 2011, they set off from Sydney for a round-the-world trip. After trotting the globe for a year, the two returned and settled in Melbourne. Their worldview had changed, but not their devotion to environmental conservation. They painted papers with color gradients using watercolor,  before folding them into little boxes. Then they used a metal wire to thread through these little boxes to create a unique kind of hanging decoration. The materials needed are easily accessible, the preparation is also simple without needing any special technique. The two even made a video on how to fold the paper balls. To enjoy the process of handicraft is more substantial than the pursuit of a perfect end product. “Paper is the most readily available material in daily life. We like how it is equally fragile and tough. So we wanted to show both qualities in our work, to change people’s perception of discarded materials.”

The duo believes in Japanese Shinto, which worships the forces of nature and pays respect to everything on earth. Their creative concept has therefore been very minimal and direct — mankind should peacefully coexist with the nature. Their creative project is a means to invite people to rethink what is really necessary and what is redundant in life.

Dear Plastic3
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