BALES OF ART
Keeley Haftner, one of the artists chosen for the city’s Placeholder Program, will use large bales of recycled plastic, now at Lorass Disposal, for an art installation at 33rd Street and
Idylwyld Drive.
Saskatoon artist Keeley Haftner wants to make people think about garbage in a new way.
She’s going to stack two bales of all-but-worthless plastic — together, more than two metres high and weighing half a ton — at Idylwyld Drive and 33rd Street.
Haftner is “thrilled” to debut her first public sculpture since earning her fine arts degree in 2011.
“I’ve very pleased the city was open minded in taking on a project of this kind and also that Loraas was so giving — they’re actually donating the two bales,” she said.
“Found Compressions One and Two” will be one of seven new temporary art installations around Saskatoon as part of the city’s Placemaker Program, which will be going up over the next several weeks.
Haftner’s exhibit is a piece of what’s called found art — where an artist, by choosing an object, lends it credit and makes it art.
The plastic bales will be wrapped in cellophane and stacked, but will remain otherwise un-manipulated.
Some plastics, such as milk jugs, are valuable and quickly sold back to companies when they’re recycled, said Haftner, who used to work at Loraas.
By contrast, the two bales used in her exhibit consist of valueless film plastic and “337” plastic. The only reason they don’t go to the landfill is because it’s slightly more expensive to send them there, Haftner said.
“There’s this narrative about waste and consumption, but also the way we go through our daily habits. All the objects that are in these bales, they all have their own little story. So it’s lending dignity to those materials and trying to think about them in a different way.”
Haftner is also going to start a blog in which she’ll interview Loraas employees to give some insight into the demands of their work and the pride they take in it.
The Placemaker Program creates an opportunity for different types of sculptures to be installed in public places. Haftner hopes her work starts a discussion, not only about waste management, but also about sculpture in the city and the ideas of art and esthetic value.
“That said, not everybody is going to adore it,” she said.
“Let’s be frank — it’s two bales of garbage stacked on top of each other. So I’m aware it’s not necessarily going to have the esthetic value some other sculptures would have, so I’d like it to be a forum for discussion as well.”
The city’s community initiatives manager, Kevin Kitchen, said the placement program is meant to expose city residents to cool art and provide an opportunity for artists.
The city’s visual arts placement jury selected one international, four national and two local works out of 33 entries. Each artist will receive up to $5,000 for their work.
Another call for artists will be issued later this year to replace leases which expire early next year.