Arianna Richardson: Surface All The Way Through

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Arianna Richardson, 'I Want It All', Chip bag confetti, polyester, netting, lurex, 21in x 24in x 4in, 2021

Surface All The Way Through is an exhibition of textile and text-based signs assembled from discarded plastic using hobby-craft techniques. It is an exploration of superficiality, distraction, reflection, containment, emotional blockages, consumerism, accumulation, and waste.

The objects in this show are fabricated entirely of plastic: a material that I am endlessly attracted to for its shape-shifting mimicry and limitless supply of exciting surface qualities. As a toxic, uncontainable, and grossly over-produced material, it is also repulsive and surrounds me with dread and despair. It is between opposites that I have created these objects: working to both deflect and deal with my own conflicting attitudes in a time of vast uncertainty, inexpressible emotions, and constant horror.

All materials in the show were rescued from their fate as discarded objects, collected either from my own personal consumption habits (packaging waste) or from the thrift store (craft supplies, projects, decorations).