Nerissa Cargill Thompson

My work encourages the viewer to stop and look closer; to consider the beauty, value and purpose in the old and discarded through photography and three-dimensional textiles. I investigate how things change appearance & shape over time, not just eroding or decaying but also new layers of growth, giving interesting juxtapositions of structure and colour. I use old clothes and scrap materials within my work for economic & ecological sustainability, choosing fabrics that hold some significance or connection to the work.

The Beached series that has formed the central strand of my practice over the MA, combines old office wear, embellished with coastal inspired textures, and concrete, cast using plastic waste and litter as moulds. In casting lightweight & transparent waste, it makes the objects more visible and heavier, giving them a sense of permanence in line with the problem of plastic pollution. The accompanying photography looks at how once it has made the journey to the coast, that without looking closely, it can be difficult to distinguish the manmade from the natural but this does not diminish the damage it is causing.