Anita Sulimanovic

Process F 
Kinetic Sculpture, Recycled plastic (milk containers), 20 x 20 x 18 in, 2017

50 plastic milk containers were used to create this sculpture. Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest. Different kinds of plastic can degrade at different times, but the average time for a plastic bottle to completely biodegrade is at least 450 years. It can even take some bottles 1000 years to biodegrade. It’s estimated that there are 100 millions tons of plastic debris floating around in the oceans threatening the health and safety of marine life.

Sculptors often struggle to find materials that would stand a test of time in an outdoor environment, therefore I wanted to experiment with recycled plastic with intention of turning garbage into a useful and durable sculptural material. There is also something addictive in making something out of nothing, it’s like an essence of creating. 

The Ruth Bancroft Gardens is a garden of succulent and drought-tolerant plants that are often unusual, otherworldly shapes and visually overpowering. I wanted to create a site-specific piece, that will have a dialog with the environment. The sculpture is suspended from a tree and is slightly moving with the wind while appearing to levitate.

The shape of the sculpture is flower-like, but somewhat more complicated, imitating micro-structures of organic life. Its petals are covered in cactus-like spines.

Is it flower or a dangerous cactus?