The Edge - ‘Cultural Legacy’

Commission for new work…

In late 2022 I was awarded a grant, through a selected callout, to create new work for the Melton City Council Art Project - The Edge. This work is over a metre high and 600mm wide. It is a big pot.

Cultural Legacy, Ceramic, 80 x 60 x 60 cm

‘My eye caught sight of something shining in the moss – it was a bubble cup. I picked it up. I picked up a bottle cap. And a burger box. A sushi box. A straw. A cigarette pack. A couple of soy sauce fish. A coffee cup. Another bottle cap. A plastic knife. Now its companion, a plastic fork. Another coffee cup. The bubble lid from a bubble cup. A couple of cans. Coffee cup lids. A hair tie. Another straw. A plastic bag. All single use packaging.’

Commenting on the accumulation of litter on the urban fringes, Pie Bolton has created a large ceramic pot which embodies her experience in the local Eynesbury Grey Box Forest.

Litter is a human thing and is far reaching from built up areas through to remote areas.
When objects are discarded our awareness of them disappears, however the accumulation of litter continues. Its longstanding implications are contamination of waterways, soil, and air with consequences for entire ecosystems.

Most often found in museums, large pots are considered to be high in value. By combining recognizable elements of litter with the pot, this light-hearted display of familiar objects allows viewers to identify some of the single use packaging we use every day and consider the cultural legacy of our litter trail.

For Kids

What litter can you see in the artwork? Are there any familiar shapes?
What does it mean to you seeing them all together in this sculpture?

Featuring artists Alice Duncan, Heather Hesterman, Pie Bolton, Rebecca Mayo, & Aunty Vicki Kinai. Photography by Shawn Smits.

I would like to thank the Melton City Council for the opportunity to make this work. The process was seamless and the team involved were supportive and encouraging.

Melton City Council is located on the traditional lands of the Kulin Nations.