RE:CASTING, works by Forest Leonard
On view at Hawai'i Theatre Center August 16 - September 22, 2024.
Forest’s art practice focuses on the solutions and opportunities available in the materialistic issues we face in Hawaii. Because of our isolation in Hawai'i, new materials are expensive to ship, and waste packaging is difficult to dispose of. Rather than rely on freshly sourced materials, Forest creates his work by reclaiming scrap clay, then press molding it into repurposed styrofoam packaging to create functional ceramic vessels and decorative sculptures.
While styrofoam is a problematic pollutant, Forest finds the materials' precise manufacturing and endless variety of forms fascinating. Divested of their original products, the unassuming white material invites viewers to imagine theoretical purposes for the forms within. Forests ceramic artworks recast the styrofoam shapes, repurposing them as readymade molds to create functional and sculptural ceramic artworks.
Styrofoam Waste
Due to our isolation, most goods shipped to Hawaii utilize some form of packaging to ensure it arrives undamaged. Styrofoam, or Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is a common packaging material and is a problematic pollutant that occupies roughly 30% of landfills worldwide. On Oahu, styrofoam is typically sent to the Covanta H-Power plant, where it is burned with other combustible waste to generate electricity for the Oahu's power grid. While this is a better solution for waste than burying it in a landfill, styrofoam is also highly engineered material that can be incredibly useful in a variety of applications in Hawaii. Pacific Allied Products, a plastics manufacturer in Kapolei, works with commercial partners to recycle waste styrofoam to create insulation, Geofoam and coolers for Hawaii.
Want to recycle styrofoam? Donate it here!
(no paint, no tape, no glue)
Viewers are encouraged to participate in this exhibition by bringing any styrofoam packaging they find to add to the styrofoam collection. All the styrofoam donated will then be recycled with pacific allied products upon the closing of the exhibition.
Bio:
Forest Leonard is an Oahu based ceramic artist interested in sustainability and innovative ceramic techniques. Born in New Jersey in 1994, Forest moved to Kailua, Oahu with his family in 2000. Forest first began studying ceramics in 2010 at Windward Community college, before transferring to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago(SAIC) in 2012. At SAIC, Forest studied ceramics and sculpture, graduating in 2015. He then worked several fabrication jobs, before moving back to Oahu to work at Kamanu Composites, an outrigger canoe manufacturer based in Kailua. The massive molds used in the canoe making process inspired Forest to begin press molding clay from found objects. In 2019, he enrolled in the masters program at UHM, where he began incorporating styrofoam packaging in his work. Since graduating in 2022, Forest has continued working with clay and styrofoam, and currently teaches ceramics classes at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Forest has been featured in numerous exhibitions in and out of Hawaii, Including Hawaii Craftsmen and Artists of Hawaii, as well as solo exhibitions at UHM and the Hawaii Theatre Gallery.
