Celebrate the spirit of Christmas and summer this August by donating recycled plastics. Using 100 kilograms of plastic waste, artist Amy Claire Mills will create 10 large-scale Christmas beetle sculptures.
The installation forms part of the Big Beetle Summer project, celebrating the Aussie Christmas beetle and highlighting the importance of protecting local ecology. The artist, Amy, is a textile and installation artist, space maker, and creative producer. As a Neurodivergent and Disabled artist, Amy’s works explore themes of advocacy, identity and disability culture. Amy further creates spaces that platform and amplify Disabled, Deaf and Neurodivergent artists.
“Through art, community and science, we can help researchers better understand where Christmas Beetles are still thriving and protect their habitats,” said Amy.
Community members are encouraged to donate their recycled plastics at North Sydney Council Chambers and North Sydney Community Centre. Donated plastics should be High Density Polyethylene plastics (HDPE 2) which are strong hard plastics such as milk cartons and shampoo bottles. Items will need to have a recycling code on them, marked by a number two. To find out how to properly donate plastics, visit the council’s website.
The finished beetles will be placed at Ted Mack Civic Park between December and January.
