CAA Conference 2021

I will be talking as part of a panel discussion at the CAA Conference on February 13, 2021

Biodegradable Art: Towards Regenerative and Circular Systems

https://caa.confex.com/caa/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Session/8068

In this session for the CAA Conference, artists and educators using biodegradable materials are invited to present their work and their process. The focus is on artwork made with materials grown in-house or locally, or obtained through waste collection or foraging, that can be composted in personal or municipal facilities. Examples may include mycocomposites or mycofoam, kombucha leather, bioplastics, recycled paper pulp, or bio-based colorants. 

Presenters will discuss how the life-cycle analysis of materials contributes to the conceptual framework of their practice, 

and connects to larger conversations about climate change mitigation, waste reduction, and regenerative systems. 

How might art reflect the necessary shift away from a destructive linear economy to refocus on a circular economy? 

The question of the archival of materials and the possibility of reframing a limited life-span as an asset will also be addressed. 

Presenters will talk about the interdisciplinary nature of their projects: how they intersect with design, architecture, agriculture, biology, or material science for example, and how this might be utilised as a pedagogical cornerstone.

Chaired by Nichole Van Beek and the Panel includes the following artists:

Yi Hsuan Sung

Judi Pettite

Maria Whiteman