MEET CAT COULTER

My art is a load of old rubbish. Let me explain.

I make assemblage sculptures and cyanotype photograms – sometimes called “blueprints” - as a protest against plastic pollution. I work to raise awareness of the increasing problem of single-use plastics, recently made even worse by the pandemic.

With my prints, made using natural sunlight, I can transform the appearance of ugly waste plastics into deceptively beautiful but dystopian blue-and-white images, where trash imitates nature. I aim to draw you in with an attractive image and then challenge your perceptions, and perhaps your conscience, as you begin to realise what you are looking at.

My sculptures are created using unexpected materials, combined with humour.

All my work aims to appeal and appal in equal measure.

I am driven by my concern for the marine environment. I am a year-round open water swimmer and an inveterate beachcomber. My work begins with scavenging the tide-line and my practice is literally washed-up. My materials are dictated by whatever the tide brings.

Translating these things into sculptures and prints constantly brings new creative inspirations and practical challenges.

I enjoy seeing the reactions of viewers and visitors to my models and blueprints for change.