Small plastic, big problem: Art makes waste visible

A teenager's habit of leaving bread tags on the kitchen bench has turned into a large-scale art and awareness project now filling the rooms of the Grenfell Art Gallery. Cowra artist Shani Nottingham has returned to Grenfell with her latest exhibition 'More Little Nothings' from the Breadtag Project which took off in 2018. Her work which transforms millions of discarded plastic bread tags into art, invites you to slow down, look closely and reflect as each tiny piece of plastic contributes to a much larger story of consumption, community and care. Shani, who once lived in Grenfell said the exhibit at the Gallery feels like coming back to where the project first gained momentum. "When my husband got a posting at Henry Lawson High School, we moved to Grenfell and lived there for quite a few years," Shani said. During that time Shani became involved with the community, working as a photographer for the Grenfell Record, and entering art and photography competitions at the local show and Henry Lawson Festival. Years later when she began developing her professional practice, the Grenfell Art Gallery played an important role in shaping what would eventually become the Breadtag Project. Some of Shani's bread tag creations. "I had a solo show at the Grenfell Art Gallery for my photography, illustration and collage, and it was one of the first times I ever exhibited my bread tags as an idea. "I put some bread tag work in the corner of the gallery just to see how it looked in a space. The response was really good and I thought, 'ok, I think I'm onto something here'." The idea behind the Breadtag Project began around 10 years ago. "My teenage son used to leave bread tags on the the kitchen bench, like teenagers do, and instead of throwing them away I started putting them in a bowl." Over time Shani noticed the colours and shapes of the tiny plastic tags and began experimenting with them like mosaics. "I made a little picture out of them and posted it on Instagram. People responded really well so I thought maybe I should do more." While researching the colours available, Shani discovered that plastic bread tags cannot be recycled and often end up in landfill. With a background in environmental advocacy, including previous works with the Wilderness Society, the discovery sparked an idea. "I wondered if I could use bread tags to create artworks that would draw attention to single-use plastics," she said. "I wanted it to be something that was appealing aesthetically, not just morally and environmentally." Some of Shani's bread tag creations. To gather materials, Shani asked people online to save their bread tags and send them to her. At first even her husband was skeptical of the idea. "He said 'no one's going to do that', but he was wrong. I started getting lots and lots of bread tags." Today the project has grown far beyond what she imagined. Donations arrived from across Australia and overseas, and Shani estimates she now has the second-largest collection of different bread tags in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. People from countries including America, Canada, New Zealand and the Philippines regularly send bread tags and Shani also collects them while travelling. "In the exhibition at Grenfell there would be well over two millions bread tags," she said. Creating the artwork is slow with each bread tag first being sorted by colour and type before it can be used. "It's very labour-intensive, but that's the point. Every single one has been sorted and handled by hand. "These tags are normally mass-produced and used once. I'm doing the opposite, taking something disposable and turning it into something that takes a long time to create." The exhibition highlights how small pieces of plastic can build up. "One bread tag doesn't seem like much. But then another one and another one, and another one soon builds up to become a huge amount." That idea, she said also applies to environmental action. "Small actions like recycling, composting or saving water might seem insignificant on their own but when lots of people do them, they add up and it does matter." The project has also had real-world impacts. When bread tag companies started bringing in cardboard bread tags they reached out to Shani to let her know projects like hers influenced their decision to change to cardboard. "It's nice to know that grassroots awareness can help influence change." While the Breadtag Project began as a simple experiment, it has now become a decade-long artistic and environmental journey. "I had no idea it would become such a big part of my life. "But if it gets people thinking a little more about the plastic we use every day, then it's doing exactly what it was meant to do," Shani added. You can see Shani's amazing work for yourself at the Grenfell Art Gallery until 8 April. Shani is always happy to accept bread tag donations, so if you have any at home you’d like to pass on, feel free to drop them into the Grenfell Art Gallery.