Meet Stephanie Stoker

Steph is an artist from Newfoundland and Labrador/Ktaqmkuk, Canada. Anyone who knows me has probably been annoyed by my calling out artists and their greenwashing. I am the first to admit I am a bit extreme, but the time for extremist action has come if we are to save our home. Stephanie Stoker is an artist who works in materials and techniques that are gentle and mindful of our Earth. Her messages come from research that affects us all. You can follow Steph here.

From Stephanie

“Waste is not natural - regardless of the material form it comes in. Building systems that consider anything as waste is the problem, not just petroleum-based packaging or convenience items, but in how products of all kinds are created,  distributed and used. Waste is part of the sickness that Earth is suffering from - unsustainable, non-regenerative, an unequal sharing of resources and goods.

The more I confronted my fascination with garbage, I still did not truly want to reclaim plastics or garbage and give it worth. But after collecting the pieces, I spent time cleaning it, getting to know its texture, movement and potential. Out of this came a new and unwilling collaborator - I hadn’t wanted to do it,  but I found my way there - asking what is the value of these plastics, garbage; the waste.

This work maps the garbage of my walks and days, wrapping around my legs or calling my attention through joyous colours. Items that were once made from natural materials, with  hand techniques and designs of longevity. Using naturally dyed silks and embroidering the words onto mass-produced, mass-consumed,  synthetic and disposable items, I  endeavour to juxtapose the strange ephemerality of this garbage (and the fact that it will never disappear),  with the true decomposability of the silk. The soft, handmade, feminine  sphere crashing into the male-dominated capitalist machine.”