Issue 74 - writers corner

 Creating responsibly begins with the materials we choose.

Eco Materials: A New Chapter for Artists and Writers

The creative world is changing. Today, artists and writers are not only thinking about what they create but also how they create it. Eco-friendly materials are becoming more than a trend—they are shaping a new creative movement where sustainability and imagination work side by side.

For artists, this shift means choosing natural pigments, recycled canvases, reclaimed wood, biodegradable clay, and handmade papers produced with minimal environmental impact. Every brushstroke becomes part of a larger story, one that respects the landscapes and resources that inspire creativity in the first place. Art made from recycled or renewable materials often carries a unique character, reminding viewers that beauty can emerge from what others might overlook.

Writers are embracing sustainability in quieter but equally meaningful ways. Many are choosing notebooks made from recycled paper, refillable pens, digital drafting tools that reduce paper waste, and publishers committed to responsible printing practices. The physical materials used to capture ideas can reflect the values expressed within the words themselves, creating harmony between message and method.

Eco materials also encourage innovation. Instead of relying on traditional supplies, creators experiment with plant fibres, natural dyes, pressed flowers, reclaimed fabrics, and papers made from agricultural waste. These alternatives introduce new textures, colours, and possibilities, proving that environmental responsibility can inspire fresh artistic techniques rather than limit them.

Perhaps the greatest impact of eco materials is the conversation they spark. A sculpture built from reclaimed metal or a poem printed on seed paper invites audiences to think about consumption, renewal, and the relationship between creativity and the natural world. The materials become part of the artwork's meaning, adding another layer of storytelling beyond the finished piece.

As environmental awareness continues to grow, eco-conscious creativity is likely to become a defining feature of modern culture. Artists and writers have always reflected the world around them. By choosing sustainable materials, they are not only documenting change, they are helping create it. In this new chapter of creative expression, every recycled page, natural pigment, and reclaimed canvas becomes a reminder that imagination has the power to protect as well as inspire.

Join the conversation on sustainable art, environmental practice and the future of making.

Artistic Statement - Peter Devonald our Resident poet.

During terrible pre-emptive and actual grief, creativity flows as rivers. Washed up on the bank at the end I find pebbles that are words, founds phrases and documents on the road to sorrow. Random accidents, happy poetic failures, a falling on rapture ---

Welcome to recycled poems, memories and twilight. William Burroughs and artist Brion Gysin developed the cut-up technique, a form of literary collage. But here, instead of lines every word is disconnected and reunited, a smorgasbord of sorrow; letting chance and the fates to decide.

Much missed Mum xxx

Let The Fates In

It doesn’t last

Mother full of memory

lopsided life

already broken.

Effigies of violence

obnoxious inferno scarred

profound flawed humans

epitaph of flowers.

A closing of grief

vermillion shadow plays

casually untethered

flickering twilight colours.

 Found Poem From Fragments

of Verse and Power of Attorney

City stumbles

code of practice decisions

sustaining journeys

I am and I am

something else.

Questions to ask yourself:

Are you happy?

Do you want poetry?

Mark the trust

of scattering light.

Transformation in the air

most people choose

exist or AZ?

Mesmerising dust modes

paradigm shift.

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Michaela Hall or Resident Writer

Lasting Impacts

The word eco, to most, conjures up imagery of greenery, nature, the environment and recycling. In 2026, this is probably at the forefront of our minds more than ever before, with extreme weather trends and the climate crisis a key part of daily policy, media coverage and increasingly, how we choose to live. It’s not a new concept for artists to work with recycled or existing objects, this has long been explored by a cultural creative movement to draw the value out of the things we discard. What is more in focus now though, is not just the fact it’s being done, but exactly what materials are recycled and exactly how they are presented, the context of materials is in the spotlight and the lasting impact a work has, this can make us look at artworks in a whole new way and value their significance twofold.

In terms of what materials are recycled to make artworks, you’re probably imagining plastic bottles, rubbish and things you may see at the side of the street, and in most cases, you would be correct and this is an important part of using recycled materials, to prevent wastage and protect our environment. One type of discarded ‘rubbish’ that there is more of than ever though, is that of technology waste, in an ever-growing tech reliant society, we have more discarded computer parts, phones and general pieces of home tech than ever being chucked out from households on the daily. One artist who capitalises on this and gives a new life to ‘obsolete tech’ is British artist Nick Gentry.  Gentry uses discarded tech remnants such as floppy disks, tapes and even medical x-rays to create large portraits that are physically and metaphorically made up of all the data and memory held on the disks or tapes. He also asks for donations of these from the public, this makes the portraits and the subjects depicted seem to have more of a lasting impact in that they are historical records as well as new creations, they are completely unique yet brand new and knowing their origin makes them even more special.  It’s also hard to look at the artworks without thinking about our relationship with technology, this context gives the works a lasting impact, they stay with us and make us ask some difficult questions.

Now drawing our attention specifically to how the artworks are shown, and where they are exhibited, I think it’s important to explore artworks that have lasting impact and are based on place. German artist HA Schult is famous for creating works with ‘rubbish’ that are directly about the place they are shown, given the works are often made of recycled and discarded objects this gives a commentary on the place the works are shown and raises questions around the human impact of consumerism culture on that place and how we treat the place. ‘Pyramids People’ 2002, sees a crowd of people, which are sculptures made up of recycled debris and rubbish, standing in formation in front of the iconic pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. Even though this work is from 2002, it’s prodding at tourism and consumerism and the ‘rubbish’ this may bring to a sacred and historic site is even more relevant today. The where here is incredibly important, after seeing this striking artwork, it will be quite hard to think of the iconic location without giving even a small thought to this artwork and the conversation it creates. It has a true lasting impact on the observer and has the potential to change behaviours.

It’s clear that through the lenses of eco living, sustainability and recycling, there are endless conversations to be had about the way we live, the way we have lived and the way we intend to live for a future that is considerate of the materials in it and their impact on our world. These artists via their unique approaches to the use of discarded objects help us to unlock the part of the brain that considers that lasting impact.

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Artist name - Gavin Freydanck aka Uncontained ILLusion aka Wizard With Words

Your website and social media @UNCONTAINED_ILLUSION

Description

I share this piece of my intellectual property as a way of highlighting our connection to the earth that we live on and how the natural materials that are often overlooked are playing out the same patterns as we ourselves play out so it is based upon the perception of humans vs the natural world and how there is no separation between the two worlds. I call my piece Life & Death From Humans To Plants in which I bring the two worlds together in a union for those that don't see how all things in a loop of procreation and raw expression.

Life & Death From Humans To Plants

Life is that it is,

It's death, it's life, it's love,

It's a mere spectacle for our eyes,

And the sensations that we feel,

To the pleasure that we endure,

And the pain we wouldn't like to applaud,

Though it's all that it is,

Just a part of the experience us humans get to appreciate,

Just like the precious reality of our earthly world,

We see the bare trees in the winter,

And the branches that can splinter,

And the autumn colours of red, yellow, gold and orange leaves,

And we can't forget about the spring filled greens,

Or the flowers and fruits that the summer brings,

Just a part of what the wilderness sings,

Self rejuvenating cells like you and me,

Though can you see how it happens,

We ourselves brace for the darkest moments,

That then become the greatest of lessons and progression,

While the joy and happiness is held in the memories that we cherish,

While the natural world has a similar pattern,

The spring comes round and the seeds beam life,

While the summer takes suit and all things thrive,

More food than the eyes could buy,

Till it all becomes over ripe,

And the point of no return is in sight, 

All things become ready to turn into seed,

It's back to the ground for the mycelium to eat,

While the worms, beetles and bugs get to feast,

Working the soil for the seeds to go deep,

The natural sowing method of the world we don't see,

What was once on the surface is now under the heap,

Of poop from the worms, beetles, you and me,

Along with the branches, twigs and leaves,

So it's safe to safe were in winter as the seeds like to sleep,

It's cold, it's muddy, it's a giant compost tea,

Feeding the plants the goodness they need,

Waiting for spring till the seeds get to break,

It's a new year, with a new lease of life at the stake,

Let it all bloom, as the earth comes awake,

It's time for the summer, where the sun will amaze,

It'll take us humans from houses, to the tans that we gaze,

Everything's shining, the brightness is great,

Singing and dancing, all full of play,

What a wonderful world, is all I can say.

Wrote by Gavin Freydanck aka Uncontained ILLusion aka Wizard With Words