artist profile ALISON MCDONALD

Watermark - coral bomby in progress - ABC 'Hit the bottle', anti plastic bottle campaign

Alison McDonald describes herself as an artist revaluing everyday materials.

This seems a somewhat modest explanation when you see the calibre of her work. Many of her sculptures, whilst using recycled raw materials – consumer waste – are carefully and thoughtfully engraved, carved and shaped into beautiful artworks Using recycled PET bottles and lids, Alison transforms our rubbish on various scales.

From single bottle hangings to larger, public installations using hundreds of bottles, her works inspire me as they really push the boundaries of today’s values…is it rubbish? is it art? or both? or simply the start of a important dialogue between art and consumerism..

Ripple effect aerial detail - Recycled PET lids

Recently Alison collaborated with Jane Gillings in Newcastle, creating an artwork made with plastic bottles donated by listeners of ABC Newcastle as part of the Hit The Bottle campaign on the ABC Local Radio breakfast program. Click here to see more

Domino effect - The Sierpinski triangle fractal at 15 ° intervals -
Recycled PET plastic bottle