Initially, the pieces were part of a whole installation titled Plastic Fantastic! It was on display at Harlem Art Park in New York City from July 2021 to June 2022. The work consisted of 1,676 tokens of dibond, which Bourcart printed on aluminum planks as a panorama of colorful scanned images of plastic bags.

 

In the work, Bourcart replicates the dichotomy: the beauty of the individual bag and what it represents—carrying, piece by piece, the treasures and acquisitions of our modern lives while causing us to reflect on the damage we are doing to our planet but more dramatically, to us.

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Full statement is available here https://www.capucinebourcart.com/plastic-fantastic

 

What does Plastic Fantastic! become once uninstalled?

Bourcart questions the end of the life cycle of a time-sensitive public artwork. What happens to the remains of an ephemeral art installation? After Plastic Fantastic! was taken down, Bourcart worried about its future. Was it all for naught? A waste? Should she simply dispose of it? Can it be recycled? Since Plastic Fantastic! was designed for a specific venue, can it be reused and reinstalled elsewhere? What does she do with 1,600+ pieces? Through this process, she raises questions about sustainability in the art world, which is generally ignored due to the complicated conversation it causes.

 

Bourcart decided the best course of action with the Plastic Fantastic! was to sell the work, which was simply a mosaic of pieces, uncouple them as a whole unit, and create 1,676 unique token pieces of original work and through this action, to give continuity to the installation and its meaning. 

 

The exhibition and the selling of the fragments is an "Art Happening" through this, Bourcart can give back the installation to the public as the piece was intended. Bourcart also answers the question of pollution as there is almost no chance to have it reinstalled somewhere. And finally, it will also serve its primary function; part of the process of a piece of art is that it is meant to transfer to someone other than the artist. Each unique piece (suggested price $5 or pay as you wish) is numbered and signed by the artist in the back.

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