Charity Ridpath

Bio

Charity Ridpath is primarily inspired by the meaning and manipulation of unconventional materials. Currently, she is working with single-use plastic to explore her own contribution to our waste stream at large. Much of her practice takes its cues from how nature organizes itself to create solutions. In 2019 she earned a BFA in Studio Practice with a specialization in Metals from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. She lives and works in Austin, Texas. 

Statement

For one year, I collected all of the single-use plastic I used to better understand my own footprint. With “Year of Plastic,” I transform this collection into nature-inspired, wearable compositions. I subvert the traditional ideas of jewelry as objects with value and symbols of status by replacing gold and jewels with plastic sculptures.
I like to view these translucent forms as a hologram, a dystopian re-creation of something that no longer exists. It creates a link between the abundance of single-use plastic and nature’s destruction.
The experience of wearing these pieces interrupts our common association of single-use plastic products with disposability. Instead, it highlights the long-lasting impact they have on our environment and ourselves.
 

CV