Home / Programs / Litter Art Project / Jes Young

 Description

Centering around the accumulation of single-use items and where they end up, this artwork repurposes discarded packing peanuts into colour changing cloud-like formations. Each cloud is put together packing peanut by packing peanut (a full 2 garbage bags worth), and is able to adapt and fit into any space, in any orientation, in various colours to showcase the full depth these little pieces of styrofoam have to offer.

This project began from participating in several shoreline clean-ups this past summer, I found it overwhelming the amount of litter that washed up to shore week by week. I aimed to create an installation to raise awareness of the innumerable amount of single use items in hopes of revealing the potential these materials have beyond the landfill.

About

Jes Young is an educator and multimedia artist that currently resides in Toronto, Canada, and has spent the last few years travelling throughout Europe and Asia, teaching and living in Germany, Italy and Thailand. They are happiest near the sea and among trees.

Young received their Masters of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, minor in History and Bachelor of Education with specialization in International Education from York University. They have exhibited in multiple group and solo shows in and around Toronto including a guest artist position at York University and was selected to create artwork for the upcoming Litter Art Program with A Greener Future. Young continues to teach and develop accessible, mobile art-based programs alongside their studio practice. They are currently fabricating work for local artists such as Cybele Young.

Website: https://www.jesyoung.ca/

Instagram: @jesyoung_

< Jennifer Richardson