philosophy of approach

The Range Wetlands is a long way from more conventional public arts precincts in Adelaide such as North Terrace. It is not somewhere people expect to encounter sculpture. In this sparse landscape, dotted with sheds and windmills, chimney stacks and cooling towers, the natural world and the industrial landscape coexist.

Sunken and partially hidden by the raised motorway, the Range Wetlands was not an easy location to use. This is one of the exit points of the city - it's not somewhere people generally stop, unless they are turning off to dump a load of rubbish.

The instinct was to make something tall and eye-catching, to arrest the attention of motorists rushing past. But dramatic changes are not consistent with Zero Waste's philosophy. Zero Waste encourages a co-operative, individually responsible approach. Rather than revolutionary instant results, it's a question of incremental, long-term changes.

The hills on which we stand to view the Zero Waste Lifeline installation and gain a vantage point over the wetlands are made from years of compacted rubbish. This is the old way. This is the result of stockpiling all our waste on the one spot. Zero Waste Lifeline - and indeed the wetlands itself - alludes to a newer, more sustainable way. Sorting, separating, reusing and recycling; filtering and cleansing; allowing resources to circulate and be reclaimed.

Cathoel Jorss - writer, Zero Waste Lifeline