repackaged, November 2022, KUDO Window, Pig Melon, Boorloo/Perth read

repackaged was a gathering of small sculptures and moments arranged in the KUDO window and throughout Pig Melon. Formed from a collection of stuff Kristen has consumed, found or been gifted, it unpacks a curiosity toward material life cycles. It entangles organic with non-organic, focusing largely on single-use packaging. Through these materials, Kristen sees an opening to think through time scales and the ecological implications beyond everyday moments of consumption or pleasure. Feelings of both delight and disturbance are present as she holds onto, draws out and reconfigures this ever-evolving accumulation of matter. Developed and informed by making at home, repackaged tunes into the domestic nature of Pig Melon, and the ways we are entangled everyday with materials.

I see an orange flower, water droplets on its petals.

I pick it up and put it inside my pocket.

Never getting too far with running,

before I see something and stop. 

We bought a box of fancy, tiny chocolates

and shared them late at night.

Biting into them slowly,

trying to work out their intricate flavours.

I keep the orange flower,

the chocolate box and the wrappers,

accumulating moments

and materials slowly.

Trying to work it out.

a light compression, coffee cup, earl grey tea packet, paper bags, paper envelope, facial cleanser lid, sunscreen lid, facial serum packaging, sanitary pad wrappers, tissue papers, napkins, bubble wrap, chewy wrapper, chewy, Baci chocolate foil, tetra pack seal, milk bottle rings, soy sauce bottle seal, bread clip, Pringles lid, sea ball, seaweed reproductive sacks, coral, rocks, snail shell, safety pin from clothing swing tag, deconstructed polystyrene, dried mandarin left in studio and cut in half, pearl from broke stud earring, rose petal from a bunch from N, ‘open’ seal from hummus, dead ivy leaves from our bathroom, seawater, ferrero rocher package, plastic strip from Australia Post satchel seal, vibrator packaging, sleeper earring, sea sponge cut into a circle, Pikster caps, unknown flowers, chocolate packet sticker, coffee bag seal, socks tag, everlasting flower, everlasting petals, plastic film from picture frame glass, plastic packaging from a book titled “Material Kinship”, plastic packaging from Perth Festival 2023 program, other soft and hard plastics, freshwater mussel, vitamin bottle seal, shell and beach pebbles from Exmouth, plastic record sleeve, tampon box, iPhone case packaging, Sue Lewis chocolate box, fishing line, seaweed, weed from Lord Street, cut outs from tea bag sachets, saliva, zip lock bag, fly from mum’s house, dried eucalyptus leaves from January, bed linen packaging, etc, KUDO window and bathroom