Having celebrated the botanical world in her work for many years, Ruth Moilliet’s bold and engaging sculptures now look at the decline of plant species, their pollinators, and the natural world as a whole.
Her initial studies highlighted the impact the fossil fuel industry has on our planet where she began to use found, recycled plastic materials to produce her work. The new additions shown in this exhibition at The Atkinson in Southport encourage discussion around the responsibilities we have as individuals to prevent further decline through our daily activities and the items in our lives.
We all know that the world is changing, and species are declining due to global warming. Many flower and insect species are now endangered or, in some cases, gone forever. One of the main contributing factors to climate change is the fossil fuel industry and a significant part of this is the production of plastic materials. Plastic products and packaging now litter our landscapes and waterways worldwide, and yet we continue to purchase them and enable plastic to be produced on an irresponsible scale.
Ruth has always used nature as inspiration for her work, celebrating its beauty, abundance, longevity, coexistence, and continuity of growth. With a heightened realisation of the effects of climate change on our environment and the decline in plant species and pollinators, her work has recently taken on a different meaning.
This exhibition not only highlights the decline in species, but also draws on the viewer to consider their own role in harmful changes to our shared planet.
We live in an overpopulated planet where we produce and use too much ʻstuffʼ. We know we should reuse, repair and recycle, but shouldn’t we try to AVOID before anything else? The title of this exhibition can be applied to many in our societies, at all levels. Those in government and industry are often blamed but we as individuals are also able to do more. All too often we keep our heads down and avoid the consequences of our daily choices and actions on the planet. This is our FOFO… our fear of finding out.