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About the Piece
Once
Michelle Lougee
Cambridge, Massachusetts
2019-2021, crocheted plastic, single use plastic, wire and resin
People across the globe produce over 300 million tons of plastic a year. Half of this plastic is used only once. Discarded plastic remnants can be found everywhere in nature–particularly in our oceans where life-sustaining microorganisms are being choked out by plastic waste.
Inspiration & Process
Lougee created these sculptures by crocheting post-consumer plastic bags, trash that might otherwise find its way into a landfill, incinerator or our oceans. Lougee collects, cuts, and processes the bags into yarn, then crochets it into organic shapes like sea creatures or insect forms. These sculptures of otherworldly marine life offer both a moment of wonder and a warning about our precarious relationship with the planet. How do single-use plastic bags affect that balance?
“In my art, I strive to replicate the animated quality that all living things possess. That is what makes nature beautiful. My sculpture focuses on the delicate balance between nature and human society.”
