Flotsam 321 is a ‘tree’ formed from remnants of human disregard and a natural disaster.

Human disregard: every day, for years now, Sydneysiders dump piles of no-longer-wanted household objects along the roadside. Before these piles spill across our paths and roads, they are cleared away. Occasionally someone will salvage an item before it disappears. 

A natural disaster: earlier this year, after record flooding on the Hawkesbury Nepean River, Sydney beaches were covered with debris. The floods devastated thousands of households and businesses.

Flotsam 321 brings together these two sources of materials: objects abandoned on city streets and others washed up on the seashore. The artist draws a link between these two events, one the work of countless human hands and the other the work of a monumental volume of water. 

The third element of this work is clean energy technology, which powers a simple light system – a doomed attempt to breathe life into the work.

Peter would like to thank Joe Barchanowicz for lighting assistance.