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In a Mannamead garden, a Plymouth artist is preparing to transform herself into a fish and “drown” in a cage filled with plastic.

Judy Harington will perform her arresting piece as part of Drawn to the Valley’s Open Studios and promises a unique experience for her visitors.

She has been turning heads with her performance installation Drowning (in Plastic) on the Hoe this year.

As a fish she invites members of the public to shower her in plastic after she’s been locked in a wire cage.

On September 30 at 2pm, weather permitting, Judy will be performing it again in her back garden.

(Image: Judy Harrington)

“I come on to the sound of whales crying, which draws people’s attention, and then I ‘swim’ into the empty cage,” Judy said.

“I have three assistants dressed in black and with bright yellow rubber gloves, yellow being a symbol of toxicity, and they lock me in. I realise I’m trapped and there’s no escaping.”

There are four sacks of plastic, all hand-picked and washed and checked for sharp edges, which Judy’s assistants begin to throw in.

“I chuck it back out, but then more and more keeps being thrown in. The important thing is that the assistants encourage the public to join in. Audience participation is vital because by getting up and chucking the plastic in, they feel implicated in it.”

Judy is completely covered in the plastic and the whale sounds die out. Eventually, she emerges as a human and is horrified at the sight of all the plastic.

“I try to eat it, which again is important because it’s saying there is no use for these containers other than it’s convenient,” she said.

Finally, the cage door bursts open and the public are invited to help clear up all the plastic.

“This is the realisation that we are part of the solution, that what we are doing on a personal level is very relevant.”

Judy is in her final year studying for a BA in painting, drawing and printmaking after a long career in the NHS.

(Image: Judy Harrington)

“My inspiration comes from the sea and my concern for the environment,” she said.

“Some years ago I came across fish skeletons on the beach and I started talking to local fisherman about diminishing fish stocks in the oceans.

"I incorporated fish bones into my work, displaying them in empty fish tanks and encasing them in plastic to reflect plastic pollution.

"The dangers of plastic in our precious oceans has now been well documented, and my current aim is to make everyone aware that they have a part to play in clearing up the mess we currently find ourselves in, drowning in plastic.”

Judy works in many different media forms – from large-scale charcoal and ink drawings to porcelain and printmaking.

“I have recently created a series of prints of seaweeds and beach-combed plastic using a pigment from ground up rocks from the beach on hand-made paper,” she said.

The performance Drowning (in Plastic) was devised by Judy following a dream she had in which plastic was raining down on her – burying her.

“I collected suitable plastic from neighbours over a six-month period and my partner helped me construct a large wire ‘rubbish bin’ in which I become trapped, wearing a fish head mask,” she said. “Towards the end of the performance the audience is asked to help clear up the plastic and will hopefully realised they can be part of the solution too.”

Visit the Drawn to the Valley website to view an online Open Studios brochure with details of the artists taking part in the trail, the venues and opening times.

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