A rubbish sculpture was unveiled at this year’s New Forest Show (30 July – 1 August) in pride of place outside the New Forest District Council (NFDC) stand.
Created by two Sway-based artists, Stephanie James and Vanessa Collingridge in collaboration with the NFDC, The Anthropogenic Nest, is composed entirely of rubbish and recycled materials collected by members of the local community.
Vanessa, a Lecturer in Art and Design at Arts University Bournemouth, explains that the sculpture gets its name from how human littering has led to birds and other wildlife using litter to make their nests.
“The brief came as part of the council's ‘Look Out for Our Forest’ (LOFOF) campaign, a call to action against the growing litter problem in the New Forest," she says. “The willow nest sculpture has been weaved with litter commonly found around the forest. We’ve been so fortunate to have the full support of the local community; schools, groups, clubs, and individuals have all gone out of their way to collect, disinfect, and deliver all this litter to our studio in Sway for us.
“The sculpture aims to highlight the dangers of the toxicity of litter left behind and the impact this has on the habitat of all the different species that live in and visit the forest. It’s our responsibility to look after our amazing and biodiverse landscape, to treasure it and take pride in the communal land we share with all the wildlife of the New Forest.”
After its debut at the New Forest Show, the sculpture will embark on a tour of other locations across the forest before reaching its new permanent home outside the NFDC offices in Lyndhurst.
James Healy, Litter Project Coordinator at NFDC, comments, “This project is a part of New Forest District Council's aim to get our communities involved in thinking about the litter problem and the choices that people make which can impact our natural spaces and home.
“We feel that art is a fantastic medium for communicating ideas, discussing issues and promoting positive actions. It has been a pleasure to work with Vanessa and Stephanie to bring an artistic angle to the LOFOF campaign.”
