A third element in the Plastics Collection is Maclean’s comment on what is value in a post-consumer society. Bound stacks of what looks like paper currency, are actually bundles of green tarpaulin material cut to the exact dimensions of a US dollar bill. The camouflage or disguise in this case becomes a critique of what true value is or can be. The "counterfeit" money is as abstract in its conception as any real money, while materials themselves, organic, or manufactured all derive from the earth’s resources. The image yet again over-rides the reality… Looks can be deceiving!
Les Hors d'oeuvres, 2015
Mixed media
16" x 16" x 4"
Of all the elements in The Plastics Collection by Maclean, the most elegant is Les Hors d’oeuvres: an assortment of what looks like cake and kartoffel slices. Each is assembled intricately and with finesse on a plastic, silver serving tray. Upon closer examination, one sees that these seemingly innocent and inviting 3-D food representations are actually totally toxic: indestructible elements made of Styrofoam, silicone and plastic, that are part of the toxicity from our industrial economy, and that find their way into the very ecosystem we rely on for our food, sustenance and livelihood.
“Stop-Art” and Signs of the Times p.6
Seventy Thousand, 2010
Polyethylene and Kraft paper
7" x 8" x 5"