Vancouver Island local artist, Tanya Bubs, used three month’s worth of plastic, both recycled and upcycled material, to create an interactive mermaid sculpture meant to attract people into the Gage Gallery.
“How do you snap people out of their stupor? How do you get people to notice something? In my course here [at the Gage Gallery], I’ve always tried to put things outside – to watch what snaps people to the moment,” Bubs said.
The mermaid was part of a larger show called Dreamscapes at the Gage Gallery.
The show was meant to defy boundaries between ocean and land, indoors and outdoors, real or not.
“The mermaid was defying many things and I think the statement can be left to interpretation,” Bubs said.
“It’s more of a juxtaposition of this plastic and beautiful mythological creature – a future of the oceans and ourselves.”
Bubs works with mostly upcycled and recycled material.
She said working with recycled and upcycled material adds layers of depth and dimension.
“It [her artwork] does have an environmental message I support. But it also contributes to your work because it brings the history of all the components of what you use and adds a subliminal level of depth,” she said.
The mermaid is currently on display at the Oak Bay marina.
Oak Bay Marina
- Where: 1327 Beach Drive
- When: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
