Dal 1999 Richard Lang e Judith Selby Lang effettuano ricognizioni su
mille metri di spiaggia di Kehoe Beach per raccogliere i rifiuti di plastica che
l'Oceano restituisce. Gli oggetti trovati hanno ognuno una propria storia da
raccontare. I Langs, con essi realizzano opere nelle quali il singolo pezzo
perde l'individualità per inserirsi in un progetto creativo più ampio. Il
fruitore è sorpreso che questi rifiuti di plastica conservino una vita
che si esprime coralmente in un prodotto artistico, di cui costituiscono un
frammento, nel quale l'evocatività materica e cromatica del singolo pezzo si
arricchisce dei mistero delle loro storie individuali, nelle quali la pregressa
appartenenza si fonde con i trascorsi nelle acque dell'Oceano. RR
***
Judith and Richard's first date found them on Kehoe
Beach in California's Point Reyes National Seashore back in 1999. Being a pair of art teachers specializing in
watercolors at the time, they already had a lot in common. On that date they both bent down to pick up and
examine some plastic flotsam lying on the beach and asked each other, "Are
you going to keep that?" They knew then
they were on the same page. Today the
Langs are a happy couple who find themselves making the best of an
environmental tragedy. For over ten
years they have been creating art out of the plastic garbage that washes up
relentlessly on Kehoe Beach. It arrives
in bits and pieces as well as whole. Sometimes
it appears as insidious transparent pellets called "nurdles." It drifts across and around the Pacific, some
of it traveling from Asia all the way to California, while some of it is
domestic. Plastic trash gets dumped into
the oceans from rivers, cruise liners, boaters, fishermen, etc. It winds up on Kehoe Beach whenever it does
not get stuck in that huge minestrone of debris known as the "Great
Pacific Garbage Patch" near Hawaii.
Judith and Richard go to their favorite beach to expand their stock of 
plastic
material on a regular basis, performing "garbage yoga," Judith jokes,
because collecting it involves so much physical activity. They gather about 30 kilos of plastic from
Kehoe Beach on a typical 2-hour jaunt.
At home they wash and separate it according to type and color. Their latest category of plastic is
"Things that have been chewed on." They find unidentifiable fragments as well as
toys, doll parts, grapevine ties, party balloon tops, lighters, combs, hair
curlers, toothbrushes, lids, household items, utensils, shoes, pieces of green
astroturf, containers, cords, netting, ad nauseam. 
Occasionally, the Langs run into "artifacts"
left over from the beginning of the Age of Plastic. They can trace the origin of some things as
far back as the 40's and 50's. Says
Richard, "There is no away in
the throw-away culture." The most
toxic plastics are colored as opposed to transparent. Most plastics eventually decompose in the
water thanks to the sun, but even so, it's impossible to eliminate their
chemicals from the food chain. Fish,
turtles, sea mammals, and birds are particularly threatened by all the plastic
drifting in the oceans and encrusting many beaches, plastic which they eat
and/or get stuck in. Humans then end up
ingesting the toxins every time they eat fish.
Originally inspired by the designs and forms of such artists as Matisse, Klee and Kandinsky, the Langs admit, "We're artists first. What we care about is creating
beauty." Their "beach plastic"
has been displayed all over the world, from San Francisco to Singapore. Some of their work consists of prints of harmonious
arrangements, photographed with a 128-mega pixel camera. The colors and shapes are striking. However, the Langs are not only having fun. They are also raising consciousness about the
problem. They have even contacted a
certain giant corporation after discovering on the 
beach, over and over,
examples of waste contained in their packaging.
Richard explains, "The opposite of beauty is not really ugly. The opposite of beauty is indifference. We're trying not be indifferent about this
and about the world." I know
exactly how they feel. Soon it will be
time to return to the wild open beach near Venice where I like to go. A friend and I will show up on the island of
Pellestrina on the Adriatic Sea equipped, as usual, with gloves and trash
bags. We'll do some "garbage
yoga" and find some treasures. Then
we'll put the trash in recycling bins. As
Judith says, if everyone would just take charge of a small patch of beach, then
we could all make a difference. Let's
try! At the very least, let's reduce our
consumption of plastic packaging and recycle as much as possible. Instead of buying new plastic picnic supplies,
let's reuse the old ones. As for me, I
think 2013 will be the year when I follow the Langs' example and try turning beach
rubbish into art! Unfortunately, in many
parts of Italy, as well as in California, there will be no lack of materials
for centuries to come. UN'AMERICANA A VENEZIA
plastic
material on a regular basis, performing "garbage yoga," Judith jokes,
because collecting it involves so much physical activity. They gather about 30 kilos of plastic from
Kehoe Beach on a typical 2-hour jaunt.
At home they wash and separate it according to type and color. Their latest category of plastic is
"Things that have been chewed on." They find unidentifiable fragments as well as
toys, doll parts, grapevine ties, party balloon tops, lighters, combs, hair
curlers, toothbrushes, lids, household items, utensils, shoes, pieces of green
astroturf, containers, cords, netting, ad nauseam. 
Occasionally, the Langs run into "artifacts"
left over from the beginning of the Age of Plastic. They can trace the origin of some things as
far back as the 40's and 50's. Says
Richard, "There is no away in
the throw-away culture." The most
toxic plastics are colored as opposed to transparent. Most plastics eventually decompose in the
water thanks to the sun, but even so, it's impossible to eliminate their
chemicals from the food chain. Fish,
turtles, sea mammals, and birds are particularly threatened by all the plastic
drifting in the oceans and encrusting many beaches, plastic which they eat
and/or get stuck in. Humans then end up
ingesting the toxins every time they eat fish.
Originally inspired by the designs and forms of such artists as Matisse, Klee and Kandinsky, the Langs admit, "We're artists first. What we care about is creating
beauty." Their "beach plastic"
has been displayed all over the world, from San Francisco to Singapore. Some of their work consists of prints of harmonious
arrangements, photographed with a 128-mega pixel camera. The colors and shapes are striking. However, the Langs are not only having fun. They are also raising consciousness about the
problem. They have even contacted a
certain giant corporation after discovering on the beach, over and over,
examples of waste contained in their packaging.
Richard explains, "The opposite of beauty is not really ugly. The opposite of beauty is indifference. We're trying not be indifferent about this
and about the world." I know
exactly how they feel. Soon it will be
time to return to the wild open beach near Venice where I like to go. A friend and I will show up on the island of
Pellestrina on the Adriatic Sea equipped, as usual, with gloves and trash
bags. We'll do some "garbage
yoga" and find some treasures. Then
we'll put the trash in recycling bins. As
Judith says, if everyone would just take charge of a small patch of beach, then
we could all make a difference. Let's
try! At the very least, let's reduce our
consumption of plastic packaging and recycle as much as possible. Instead of buying new plastic picnic supplies,
let's reuse the old ones. As for me, I
think 2013 will be the year when I follow the Langs' example and try turning beach
rubbish into art! Unfortunately, in many
parts of Italy, as well as in California, there will be no lack of materials
for centuries to come. UN'AMERICANA A VENEZIA
VIDEO - CLIKKA QUI
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