The Adlington Post

As part of Auckland Artweek 2017, I will participate in LOOK@KRd with a pop-up installation in the window of the shop Buana Satu 229 K Rd, Auckland. As an environmental artist living on the North Shore in Auckland, and am honored to be able to present this installation as part of my long-standing and on-going body of work entitled “Our Dying Planet”. My installation will have an environmental theme - the rapid and continuing extinction of species in NZ.  Entitled "Steampunk Explorers and Moa Bones" this piece is intended to be a wake-up call as to what we have squandered and lost comparatively recently in this once-pristine land. Brief Artist's Statement: "The story suggested by this installation is that in 1888 a group of steampunk explorers fly in an airship to unexplored Fiordland in search of the last of the moa. Unfortunately, the extinction of the moa had been rapid - it is estimated that within 100 years of Polynesians landing in New Zealand the entir...

This week I have made some more jandal art pieces for "Buana Satu". I mounted the fish-shapes cut from jandals found on my beachcombing trips around the North Island here in NZ onto interesting pieces of driftwood I have salvaged along the coasts. Pieces of discarded fishing ropes serve as hangers so that the works may be attached to walls ..... As an environmental artist I attempt to fashion artworks which address serious environmental issues (in this case the pollution of our seas and the depletion of fish stocks) in a gentle, even humourous fashion, as I find that people respond to humour in a far more positive manner than they do to blaming and accusatory approaches.......

Helen at “Buana Satu” in K Rd has displayed the jandal fish and shell hangers as well as the Feng Shui artworks I took into the shop last week.With the advent of spring retail activity should pick up, and of course Christmas shopping will begin soon. Let’s hope for some sales - which will give me an excuse to make more pieces! clock from junk.... united tribes flag

At last I have found someone who can show me how to make swans out of old car tyres.  It's just a matter of scale, & having the right equipment:  Watch how they make this gigantic bird HERE

Last December I was invited to help present a workshop on the power of art to effect social change at "Artshift" a sub-activity of the international Youth Climate Change Summit (known as Power Shift : New Zealand- Pacific where well-over 600 young people signed up ) at Auckland University.  “The Power Shift NZ-Pacific 2012 Youth Climate Summit will create a powerful movement that will push New Zealand to raise its ambition in tackling climate change, and challenge our leaders to make meaningful change to climate policy.”  (From PowerShift.org.nz )   watch the video of the workshop HERE

Another three minutes of fame!! The skilled folks from Whitebait TV made a short doco on my dumpster diving and upcycling activities which screened on June 8 2012. Watch by clicking on the image:

"BBBBBBBalls"......................... "Best By" "Four Tui"..................... "Fcuk Me Shoes" "Mortagee Sale" Today I picked up some more stuff from the beach after the winds & high seas....I have been reading a new book about the surrealist artist Joseph Cornell, & was inspired to place some of my new & old finds into small boxes. See more of my  recycled, upcycled and environmental works at www.martinadlington.webs.com

The junk collection continues to grow! I have become more selective in my gatherings, bringing home mainly smaller items for future use, otherwise I would soon run out of space. See more of my recycled, upcycled and environmental works at www.martinadlington.webs.com

Last Thursday I was invited to have a stall with my recycled artwork at the inaugural "First Thursday" art event in St Kevin's Arcade in K Rd, AK. With free cider & loud music the crowd had a good time. Sales were slow - hopefully better next time. See more of my trashion pieces as well as recycled, upcycled and environmental works at www.martinadlington.webs.com

The children [& teachers] from the local Browns Bay Pre School have invited me to assist them construct a sculpture for the playground which the children have designed. Here is the "sculpture group" with their tentative layout for the work - comprised of pieces of pumice from Lake Taupo, & steel rods from an old fence.

I made this nikau palm from plastic drink bottles. On Saturday 24th September I will have a stall at the 350 environmental event at Mt Eden- where I will be demonstrating craft projects for recycling plastic drink bottles, as well as selling my recycled artworks & trashion pieces. 350 Maunga Action * 3:30-4:50pm Join in with other Aucklanders on the Real Icons of Auckland to call out for change for 350. Bring your voice and instruments - tell every music group you know! Maungawhau | Mt Eden http:// www.350.org/node/5747 fb: http:// www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113834797830 3:30pm for karakia, ends 4:50 so you can amble along to: 350 Festival * 5pm-7pm The key-stone in Auckland's combined action: Gather with the whole 350 community to celebrate the day http://www. 350.org/node/8755 fb: http:// www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165945354531 Tahaki Reserve, at the base of Mt. Eden 5pm till sun-down around 7pm

In my dumpster-diving activities I have begun to notice that some of the dumpsters are artworks in themselves...often far better contemporary artworks than some of the shite we see in the galleries in the city. Here are a couple I spotted recently....

Where I belong...in a dumpster!: expounding Post Modern Trash Theory to people from AK Uni - audio & video of the interview following shortly on mywebsite & Youtube channel... On Thursday 13th August I will be talking with environmental guru Tim Lynch on GreenPlanet FM 104.6: "How Joe Six-Pack Can Help Save the World"...available later on podcast from www.greenplanetfm.com

Last week there were high seas & strong winds which washed lots of plastic rubbish onto the beach here at Browns Bay. I took my blue bucket & filled it in less than ten minutes!

Follow this link to see the feature on my recycled art on TV1 Breakfast earlier in May: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWRcfeLfeNg

My front room at Glen Road is beginning to fill up with junk I have found. The walls on the south side are shown here. The Barbie Mobile is a work in progress...

These toy soldiers came out of a skip on the North Shore, Auckland. I cut the “peace” charm from the lid of a Tupperware container - lets hope it works!! See more trashion pieces on my recycled art website www.martinadlington.webs.com www.martinadlington.webs.com

On Sunday March 8 I attended an Eco Day at the Sustainable Living Centre in New Lynn, Auckland with my recycled artworks. There were 50 other stalls all with an environmental theme. The event was a great success for all concerned & I look forward to attending again next year. See my recycled art for sale at: www.martinadli www.martinadlington.webs.com ngton.webs.com