Liam Slaney
BEd, BFA Concurrent Degree, 3rd year
I am a multidisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and visual art. My practice explores the relationship between human presence and the natural world, often reflecting on themes of time, disappearance, and transformation. I am inspired by landscapes, quiet moments of observation, and the ways nature continues beyond human control. Through material and form, I aim to create work that invites reflection on our place within larger ecological and existential cycles.
Above the mess, below the guilt, 2023, Sculpture, 16" x 15" x 4".
This sculptural piece takes the form of a bird wing constructed entirely from disposable plastic knives and spoons. The utensils are layered and arranged to resemble feathers, transforming objects of everyday consumption into a form associated with flight. Materials meant for brief, convenient use are reassembled into something delicate and organic, revealing the tension between lightness and the environmental weight of plastic waste.
The work reflects on humanity’s relationship with consumption and the illusion that we can rise above its consequences. Plastic utensils are used for moments but remain in the environment long after their purpose has passed. By shaping them into a wing, the sculpture highlights the contradiction between our desire for progress and the lasting impact of the waste we produce.
The title, Above the Mess, Below the Guilt, speaks to this paradox. We imagine ourselves able to consume without consequence, to rise untouched. Yet the damage remains and responsibility lingers. The wing suggests flight, but it cannot truly lift. It is weighed down by the plastic of our own consumption.