Susie Ganch

Artist Statement

Solastalgia fuses my passion for making with environmental and social concerns. Waste, such as plastic, is easily dismissed and seen as repugnant. This is too simplified however, and I look for resourcefulness and reconciliation through hours spent working with these environmental adversaries. As confusing as it is, I see myself as both an advocate for and against the items we conveniently throw in our recycle bins. While plastics are vilified, they have useful properties not yet replaceable.  Truly, it is not plastic that is the enemy of the environment, rather it is people and the choices made when using it.  

My work has shifted in scale from hand-held to room size. Both have immediacy I desire. Sometimes, a single brooch worn on a jacket has the most striking impact. Its performative quality conveys messages, about material, adornment, desire, and identity.  Large-scale work invites immersion and the possibility to be transported (rather than being the transporter). Scale also heightens the tension between the eye-catching beauty seen from a distance vs. the dirty truth found up-close.

Using social media to reach thousands, I invite people to send me their single-use trash. Involving a virtual community is important because of collective complicity. The immense volume of sent waste is discouraging. However, it motivates me and offers a plethora of possibilities and urgency to use it. Everyone who sends large quantities of materials receives a gratitude brooch or a badge of shame, made from what they sent. Both critical and celebratory, the essence of this gesture reflects the overarching complexity that I examine in my work.  Ultimately, I am beseeching a closer look, a chance to scrutinize our insidious throw-away culture.

Explore more works by Susie Ganch.