The Breadtag Manifesto

THE BREADTAG MANIFESTO

OBJECTIVES FOR THE PROJECT-

ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

To draw attention and awareness to the overuse and dependance of single use plastics, in various means, art, installations, social media, traditional media, word of mouth...

To educate and inform about the use of single use plastics.

To take breadtags out of circulation and possible entry into the environment, as land fill, or pollution in streams, rivers, oceans, etc. This also prevents them from possibly being swallowed by wildlife.

To link to other programs, awareness campaigns, projects, websites etc that educate and facilitate awareness of environmental pollution, garbage, reducing/reusing/recycling.

To use social media and traditional media to attract attention to the project, and thus, the environmental concerns the project is highlighting.

SOCIAL ASPECTS

To create networks, connections and access to others interested in environmental, creative and imaginative projects and programs. People connecting with other people!

To create a community of people with shared ideas and interests, promote interaction and the sharing of their stories and their own adventures/reasons/photos/art of how they are incorporating The Breadtag Project into their lives.

To encourage mindfulness, awareness and observation in our everyday lives. To notice the simple small things around us. For those involved in the project to share this awareness.

To encourage dialogue between people with in all aspects of The Breadtag Project.

To encourage research, learning, education and knowledge of the world around us, from the smallest objects, the microcosm, to wider implications and ideas, the macrocosm.

To support charity, and those less fortunate by donating tags and for the tags to have full circle life, being recycled into usable wares at the end of the project.

ART AND CREATIVE ASPECTS

To promote and support creating art, stories, and other creative endeavours using breadtags as inspiration.

To create a community of creatives sharing their creating process and facilitating interaction between creatives. Networking to share ideas, mediums, potential projects and collaborations between them.

Strengthen and nurture problem solving and imaginative, creative thinking.

To give opportunity for artists/creatives to exhibit and share their work and stories with broader community.

To use art/creativity to assist in the supporting wellbeing and mental health.

To encourage ‘thinking outside the box’ and seeing potential and inspiration for creating in small things as well as large scale ideas.

To facilitate and spark creative ideas, artworks, craft, music stories , etc.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING ASPECTS

To draw attention to and promote discussion on mental health and awareness of the importance of mental well being.

To create a means of making mental health and its many aspects, as well as mental well-being discussion/talk acceptable and regular part of social interactions, whether in real life or in traditional or social media forums. ‘Normalising’ and overcoming stigma attached to these issues.

To create a platform for people to share their stories and experiences with mental health and wellbeing experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and advice and strategies.

To draw attention to the way COLLECTING, and ordering objects can be part of a means of creating order and sense of story, identity and wellbeing. Encourage this and/or art and creating as means of therapy and strategies to encourage good mental health and wellbeing.

OUTCOMES FOR THE PROJECT

To achieve the objectives of THE BREADTAG PROJECT, there are many outcomes possible.

However, there are 3 main OUTCOMES that are being pursued. Within these 3 main outcomes, are opportunity for smaller, integrated events, happenings, publications , etc.

It is anticipated that these outcomes will be staggered, and work to scaffold, support and nurture each objective of the project.

1. ART EXHIBITION/ EXHIBITIONS/ INSTALLATIONS

These exhibitions/exhibition will include art/illustrations/installations from numerous invited artists and creatives, as well as a curated group of participants. All artworks will feature breadtags in some way, as inspiration, theme, focus, medium, or direct subject.

The exhibition will be supported by having an ONLINE virtual exhibition, to be shared on social media, etc.

In addition/or as part of this exhibition, I am collecting breadtags from as many countries as possible, and trying to get as many types as possible. I am collecting what I hope will be the worlds most comprehensive collection of plastic breadtags. As public awareness campaigns grow and momentum about single use plastic and the devastating affect grows, I am hoping that one day breadtags will be a thing of the past, as more environmentally friendly alternatives are found. As such, these tags will potentially become endangered, sentimental items from the past. So the collection may become not only a comment on their prevalence NOW, but potentially a historical repository of these items. This is THE DOOMSDAY COLLECTION.

Also, all packaging used to send me breadtags is being recycled, re-used or filed and used as medium for other artworks/installations.

The creation of art/installations by me continues to happen.

2. PUBLICATION OF A BOOK/BOOKS

This book will have contributions from people all over the world, and contain many fantastic aspects of collected during THE BREADTAG PROJECT.

3.LESSON PLANS, WORKSHOPS ETC

These will be inclusive of many KLA in the school curriculum. These lessons are to educate and promote discussion about the environment, but in a way that is accessible and visually based for al stages of learning of Primary and Infants children and beyond.

AND IN CONCLUSION, the story so far in August 2020

The Breadtag Project continues to gain traction and support.

 

Many creatives have sent me images and artworks, messages and letters of things they have drawn, painted, photographed, sewn and made because of this project. These creatives are sharing their creations on their own platforms, and are continuing the cycle of awareness, and the objectives of the project. Fabulous reciprocity! I have been diligently storing, recording and filing these away for inclusion in books, exhibitions etc, so that their creativity can be seen by the audience they deserve.

I receive packages, boxes, buckets, letters parcels almost EVERY DAY from all over Australia and the world, with breadtags and often with the stories of where they were found and how. These project participants usually have involved family, friends, school groups, sport teams, businesses, and other people in their community to help them collect their stash. And so it grows.

I am also sent images of breadtags in situ, of donation boxes people have made, of how people are reusing breadtags, of their own collections. People are becoming AWARE of small things, creating, sharing, connecting, thinking.

I have been privileged to have people share stories of how the project has helped them find purpose, feel good about themselves, find reason, and share anecdotes of emotional, sad and funny, regarding breadtags.

The project has been featured in wonderful magazines, newspapers and blogs, as well as in an SBS video, and on national ABC radio. I have worked with ACARA ( Australian Curriculum and Research Association) to help do lesson plans and ideas for kids, and continue to build up further ideas with the help of other educators and kids. 

It is my intention to shift some focus onto the mental health aspect of the project, to begin to include aspects of this into my posts, art, and ask others to participate in this discussion. Collaboration and community!

COVID AND MOVING FORWARDS 

Opportunities for exhibiting and displaying the tags has begun to happen, with artworks made as part of the project being accepted into a curated group exhibitions, and the offer of an artist residency to work on installation ideas and network with other creatives and curators of galleries being fabulous. 

It is true that some of these have been postponed or delayed due to COVID, and that many galleries are not accepting proposals for exhibitions at the moment, for fear of future closures, as well as a backlog of exhibitions that have now created a bottleneck for exhibiting opportunities. Though this makes things difficult, the project is a long term thing, a marathon, not a sprint, so like everyone else, it has made me look for solutions, work arounds, alternative ways to get the message out there , etc.  

Other possibilities being explored, including an online virtual gallery/exhibition, which I am in the process of applying for grants for. Also, I have used the time to work on the content of a book, and do online courses on learning how to write, pitch books, get published, and learn as much as I can about hoe to make it happen. I have also been investigating zines etc, as an alternative. It is a big bad, wonderful world out there online!

On a personal level I am beyond amazed at how the project is touching lives, and has become part of my own journey. It is with the support and faith that others have in me — and this project — that propels me to push beyond my own boundaries, anxieties and fear of failure to achieve the OUTCOMES of the project.

THANK YOU!💙💚💛💜

If you would like to get involved, please feel free to  email me at

breadtagproject@yahoo.com

Send your tags to :

THE BREADTAG PROJECT

30 LACHLAN ST

NSW 2794

AUSTRALIA