“Do your little bit of good where you are;
it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
- Desmond Tutu
WELCOME TO MY CALL FOR FRAGMENTS!
I am intrigued with the way an object left by the sea, exposed to the elements, wears down as a result of time and environment. For me, it is the perfect metaphor for the fragility of the physical world. Over the past few years, motivated both by environmental concern, and the development of a personal artistic language, my work has become deeply connected to the concept of diminution - the act, process or an instance of diminishing.
It is with great excitement that I embark on developing a body of work further exploring the concept of diminution, in which all of the content is fully crowd-sourced. I am seeking fragments of non-organic, man-made debris that have been removed from the environment by you. Simply put, I want you to pick up some litter and show it to me! Why? Performing an environmental cleanup is a simple act of kindness toward the Earth that feels really good, and is important. I know many of you do this on a regular basis, and I want to create work that honors the collective efforts of the acts of kindness performed by others. Every individual who participates in this project will be honored in the forthcoming collective visual body of work. I hope the process + work created will be interesting, fulfilling and beautiful for anyone who chooses to be involved, whether through participation or observation.
If this sounds at all intriguing or interesting to you, I invite you to become a part of my process + work. All you have to do is get outside, do a little good, and share your efforts with me!
Here is how it works:
CONDUCT A CLEANUP *
Get out and pick up some litter! Trash travels — reaching the ocean by way of storm drains and waterways — so we must take action to stop the flow of trash before it has a chance to reach the water. There is no such thing as an environmental cleanup too small: you can pick up litter on your street, at your local park, anywhere! Every single piece picked up is one less to threaten the environment, so grab your mask and gloves, head out and pick up some trash - it will feel great, I promise!
*You can visit the Ocean Conservancy website for some great tips and guidelines about safely conducting your own cleanup.
CHOOSE A FRAGMENT
Whether you pick up buckets, bags, or just a handful of trash during your cleanup, pick ONE small fragment of non-organic debris that is of interest to you to submit. In keeping with my motivation as an artist, I would love to see something that has been broken down, eroded and diminished as a result of time + environment. This single fragment will be used in my forthcoming body of work to honor YOU and your efforts.
Please submit ONE fragment per person, per cleanup. If you are doing a cleanup in a group, each individual may submit one fragment. For example, let children choose their own fragment so they can be individually honored in the project for their efforts. The more cleanups you do, the more fragments you may submit and have represented in the forthcoming body of work - better for the Earth, better for the Art!
PHOTOGRAPH YOUR FRAGMENT
Please take a photograph of your fragment on a solid background (any color). Each photograph will provide the content for the shapes in the forthcoming body of work, so please make sure there is nothing in the photograph except the single fragment.
SUBMIT YOUR CLEANUP + FRAGMENT
In order to have your cleanup effort and fragment properly documented and included in the forthcoming body of work, I will need a little information from you, and an image of your fragment. Once you have finished your cleanup and photographed your fragment, please click HERE to complete a quick survey where you will submit your photograph, and answer a few simple questions about the location of your cleanup.
FOLLOW ALONG + SHARE!
It is my hope that this project will open up an interesting dialogue between contributor, artist and viewer. I look forward to making this body of work a collaborative effort, and hope you will invite your friends to take part in this project too - ALL ARE WELCOME!
If you would like to stay informed about the progress of this project and the work, but do not wish to participate, please sign up for my mailing list + follow me on instagram @kitporterstudios.
Once again, thank you for your interest. We all know that small efforts lead to great change and I truly believe that together, we can make something beautiful. If you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email at info@kitporterstudios.com - I would LOVE to hear from you!
In JOY + gratitude,
Kit
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to current social restrictions in response to the spread of COVID-19, please take care if you decide to get out to conduct an environmental cleanup. If you cannot do so safely within the social distancing or shelter in place restrictions of your location, please wait until the time is right. With that said, I have found spending time outdoors and in nature to be the best thing I can do for my mental health and wellness at this time. If the time feels right for you to participate in this project, I would love to have you take part.