Sara Mai, artist

" I chose plastic bottle tops as my medium for creating art, as at the time I was aware of the level of ignorance about plastic in our lives. By creating art with the tops I hoped to open up dialogues to a better future."

Sara has been working with plastic bottle tops for nearly ten years now, exploring sustainable ways of making art.
In the last year Sara has been working on 3D modelling with the tops, to great effect.

Exhibitions

2022 - Seven by the Severn, Group Show.
The Gateway, Shrewsbury

2019 - Stranger Things, Group Show,
The Bear Steps, Shrewsbury

2019 - Clean Stream,
The Bear Steps, Shrewsbury
2017 - Shrewsbury Open Studios
2016 - Participate Group Exhibition, Winter
2017 - Plastic Pixel Art - The Exhibition
2015 - VAN Group Exhibition, Winter
Feb 2014 - Up, VAN, Shrewsbury

Festival Installations

Clean Stream:
Green Gathering, 2015,16,17,18,19,22
Green Futures Field 2010,13,19, 22
Nottingham Green Fair
2019, 22
Plastic Pixel Art:
UPfest, Bristol
London Permaculture Festival
Whitchurch Blackberry Fair
Flaxmill/Maltings Open Days
Cosford Food Festival
Shrewsbury Kids Festival
Ludlow Green Fair
Newport Carnival
Newport Show
UPcycling
Radical Bakers Gathering
2019,2

Curations & Talks

Seven by the Severn, The Gateway,

Clean Stream, The Bear Steps

Upycling, VAN.

Up, VAN

African Art, VAN

Fabricating Colour, FoF/M

Talks

2021 - Plastics and Petrol - Pontesbury Climate Action

2019 - Clean Stream

2015 - Time Travel

.

Major Works

2022 - UPcycle

2022 - I Am No Sewer

2021 - Barrel of Refined Crude Oil

2019/20 - Take It Home, Sakamono, Ghana & Shrewsbury, UK

2017/18 - Springtime on Whixall Moss.
Shrewsbury, UK

2013/14 - Tree
Shrewsbury, UK

Artline

Artwork across the centuries

Sept 1984 - June 1987

Chelsea School of Art, London

Foundation Course, Fulham Annexes
3D Design, Lime Grove

1987 - 1989

Interior Design Assistant

Omrania UK, Kensington, London

1990 -1997

Freelance Art & Design

Artwork, Illustration, Interior Design, Cards

1998 - 2005

i Design

Commercial Interior Design Practice, Powys, Wales

Teaching Interior Design, NVQ Level 3
Graphic Design
Journalism

2005

Radbrook College, Shrewsbury

Art & Creativity
Art & Creativity II

2006 - current

smptree

Artistic production company formed to recreate post consumer resources, through sustainable methods, into works of art and design, using permaculture principles.

Illustration, Papermaking, Interior Design Consultancy, Paper-weaving, Poetry, Stage Design, Workshops, Talks, Exhibitions, Installations

2011 - 2013

Visual Art Network

Member, Volunteer, Trustee, Secretary

elit.

2014 - 2019

Participate Contemporary Artspace

Studio Artist, Volunteer, Director, Manager

Helped to organise and run a collective of artist's studios in an 'end of life' shopping precinct in Shrewsbury Shropshire

Workshops, Exhibition Curation, Marketing & Publicity, Youth Mentoring, Volunteer Co-ordination, Aministration, IT Infrastructure, Newsletter.

2019 - current

Shrewsbury Environment Centre

Set up an environmental charity to help raise awareness of campaigns and actions available locally, nationally and globally.