We recently produced Direct to Media UV Prints on Polycarbonate for Andy Hughes’ ‘Sea Through’, a commissioned work for ‘Flowing Moon, Embracing Land‘, 2022 Jeju Biennale, South Korea. The Biennale focuses on “artistic practices for global symbiosis in the era of climate crisis when new geological concepts such as the Anthropocene and the Capitalocene are raised”.
Hughes’ two large circular polycarbonate photographs were sited on the volcanic coastline on Gapado Island, offering a see-through view of the ocean towards Japan. Each print depicts a plastic bottle found and photographed on the beach of Gapado. By making the images transparent, Hughes invites the audience to “see through” the sea and plastic waste simultaneously. Viewers are encouraged to contemplate the materiality of the depicted objects and the polycarbonate the photographs are made from. Hughes thinks about the impact that trivial things like drink bottles can have on the perspective toward the infinite universe and deep sea. Hughes proposes the idea that discarded litter in this waste-covered world can be thought of as living organisms.
About Andy Hughes
Based in Cornwall, Hughes’ work is focused on issues related to pollution, with a particular emphasis on plastic waste, as well as theories concerning hyperobjects and wet ontologies. His interest in plastic pollution in marine environments was ignited in the late 1980s when he observed waste washing up on the shores while learning to surf. Critiquing the prevailing consumerist culture in contemporary society, Hughes perceives human-generated waste and pollution as disruptive material and an indicator of the inherent vitality in all forms of matter. He blends conventional and digital imaging techniques, including paint, wax, sculpture, and archival film, to create hybrid still and moving images. Collaborating frequently with NGOs, scientists, and other experts, he integrates their knowledge into his work.