Artist Janet de Wagt beneath the upside-down dinner setting
in her lounge. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Plastic is fantastic in the world of Dunedin artist Janet
de Wagt.
• Slideshow
Her St Kilda home is a salute to plastic and other maligned
and misunderstood products from the past.
"I'm a working artist and the house is a continuation of my
artwork. It's about celebrating diversity," Ms de Wagt said
this week.
"I like the social history and commentary of plastic. It's
seen as so awful, but plastic actually started way back in
the 1890s. The word 'plastic' comes from the Greek 'to
mould'."
Even her dog hasn't escaped her plastic obsession, given the
moniker "Formica".
The Bathgate School artist-in-residence bought the 1902
Cashel St house when she returned to Dunedin from England 15
years ago.
"I came back with 54 tea chests full of toys, which I had to
find a place for somewhere."
A motif of colourful tikis covers the front of the house and
plastic pigeons feed on the roof.
An oven serves as the letterbox, set in a fence teeming with
pixies, elves and fairies.
"They're the height of kids, so they can see them when
they're going past in their pushchairs," Ms de Wagt said.
A red telephone box serves as a garden shed and a pink
freezer is her coal bin.
Indoors, fish jostle for wall space with flying ducks,
teaspoons, car numberplates and badges. One wall is covered
in old copper art.
Glass sheets are fitted into the floor, showcasing
collections of toys and curios from yesteryear.
"I have a lot of things under glass, so you don't have to
dust them."
The piece de resistance is possibly an inverted dinner table,
complete with plastic food, which is suspended from the
lounge ceiling. An antique cash register serves as the
cutlery drawer.
"I like trying to find new ways to use things. It's about
stories and everything tells a story. Any piece of anything
tells a story," Ms de Wagt said.
"Someone will give me something that's been at their house
for years and I'll usually find something to do with it."
nigel.benson@odt.co.nz
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