Artist Spotlight #3: TODD BANK
Rhizomatic Arts is proud to feature members of our network who are doing good in their communities through their creative and professional practice. TODD BANK is an ecologically-conscious artist and founder of WASTE ART.
Tell us a little about your creative and/or professional practice. What do you do in the world?
Waste Art redirects non-recyclable, yet re-useable, materials away from landfills and into a dual short and long-term sustainable art demonstration. Phase 1 is a traveling exhibition of a large body of artwork that has been crafted almost completely of waste materials over a 20-year time span. Phase 2 is the implementation of a Sustainable Art Station (SAS): a zero-waste, solar powered, partially interactive art installation that doubles as a community social hub and “Micro-Generation” station that produces clean electricity.
How do you relate the idea of "sustainability" to your creative practice?
For me to be sustainable I need to see value in the valueless. What others consider useless waste that has no place other than a landfill, I see art mediums that, with a little imagination, can be converted into valuable art that will make the world a better place to live in.
What would a sustainable career look like for you?
Being a full-time sustainable artist means I am responsible for upcycling unwanted waste into something that inspires others to maybe do the same. We can never have too many sustainable artists, in my opinion! It also means I will have to do a lot of interaction with everyday people and professionals to convey my project’s goals of landfill/global warming reduction using sustainable art as a mitigation medium. The clean energy part of my work is an easy sell; sustainable art, not that easy.
What do you want to see in the world, 10 years from now?
By the year 2028, I see artworks of all sizes, crafted primarily from non-recyclable materials otherwise destined for regional landfills, transferred to site-specific predesignated urban settings all around Los Angeles for permanent Sustainable Art Station installations. Each SAS will serve as a modern community waste re-use model by generating its own electricity using clean, renewable energy sources. Photovoltaics will not only power lights throughout the day or night, they will also charge batteries for electric bicycle users who are either visiting the SAS’s or participating in local waste material retrieval projects. The goal of the SAS is to implement self-sustainability within a community, reducing its dependence on landfills and coal fired electricity. My project will help Los Angeles become a 100% zero-waste city that generates clean electricity, locally, in micro-generation stations, that double as interactive public artwork
What's coming up next for you?
I am presently applying for the Cabin Time Eastern Sierra getaway, which I hope I am accepted. Otherwise I am continuing the massive task of constructing handmade frames out of waste materials for all my artwork.
