Edutainment > 36 Views of Green Island (18) - Flotsam

Flotsam
copyright Tom Kristensen, 2005

Tom Kristensen, born 1962, is a young artist from Australia who works in the tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking. On this page, he writes about his latest print from the series "36 Views of Green Island ".

Here is the original text written by Tom Kristensen. Text and images are copyright protected and may not be used or distributed for other than private use without the prior consignment of the author/artist.

36 Views of Green Island

"These 36 views are presented in the Sosaku Hanga tradition: self-carved and hand printed, using Japanese tools, Japanese mulberry washi and traditional pigment colours. Each print is made from 4 to 6 blocks and printed in an edition of 25 copies."

Flotsam - No. 18

Walking the beach one finds a variety of natural flotsam, with seashells, driftwood and pumice stone among piles of stranded kelp. There is also pollution, including plastics, polystyrene and the rubber thong. This style of footwear, known elsewhere as the flip-flop, has evolved from the traditional Japanese Zori sandal, which was made from woven straw and leather.

The thong is extremely popular throughout South East Asia, where it is ideal for the warm climate. In Australia the thong is a national emblem, symbolising an easy-going outlook. Hundreds of millions of thongs are manufactured each year, and a significant proportion ends up in the ocean. Stories circulate about the origins and dispersion of these sea-faring thongs. Myths abound about the predominance of left-footed thongs, but beachcombers can easily collect a pair of serviceable thongs in the same size. There are those who will collect the thongs and nail them as trophies to a front fence or a tree. The floating thong may aid the dispersion of coral colonies by acting as a raft, they are often found encrusted with invertebrate life.

Abandoned fishing nets are a serious threat to large marine animals, and the thong is also a problem. On a section of the North Australian coastline each year between 100 and 300 plastic bottles wash ashore per kilometre, and between 50 and 100 rubber thongs. About every fourth plastic bottle and every fifth rubber thong has turtle and fish bite marks. If swallowed the thong can lead to lethal digestive complications.

Tom Kristensen
August 2005

Video Presentation of Tom Kristensen

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We produced a video with a short presentation of Tom Kristensen. Please click on the image or on the link to go to the video page.

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