Photo by Adrian Schneider

Rayona has taken an 8' wide inverted swimming pool with PVC shower curtain earth map overlay and created this stunning Ball Gown in order to show how the ocean currents move and how they create the 5 major Oceanic Gyres and to illuminate the extreme grandure of the problem of plastic in our oceans. A gyre is any large system of rotating ocean currents, particularly those involved with large wind movements. These currents cause plastics, which will break down in the ocean... but never completely go away, to be pulled to their slowly rotating center, where they cannot escape. Consequently the concentration of plastics in these areas have already reached levels of 6 to one plastic particles to plankton. The sea creatures eat this, and in turn we eat them. Or, as in the case of the gray whale who beached itself in West Seattle in April 2010, they simply die from too much plastic crap in their bellies. (http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/CRC%20-%201035%20stomach%20content.pdf) Albatrosses regularly fly through these areas and mistakenly gather the plastic thinking it to be food, and bring it home 100s of miles to feed their babies, who then die from starvation, their bellies full of plastic. Most plastics leak toxic chemicals into the water system and this effects all living creatures, particularly our immune systems and our hormone levels. It's time for us to take a good hard look at how much plastic... particularly DISPOSABLE plastic we have in our daily lives... and make some changes to our habits, for the sake of all life on earth.
Rayona's plastic airbed bodice comes in the form of a crashing wave and her hair adornment is an Albatross created from a plastic bag, cardboard, clear tape and a bic lighter.....

Photo by Kristie Maxim

pay closer attention to the plight of the Albatross here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ri0RAsctYo
a video from the Midway Journey

Onstage at the 'Satire from the Gyre' Show August 2010 Nevada City, California

photo by Adrian Schneider

Photo by Doug Bulger
http://www.dougbulger.com

Photo by Dan Steiffel

Rayona models the first Gyre Gown at the 2010 Art of Trash Show in Hilo, Hawaii, at the "Satire from the Gyre" Show in Nevada City California, and the 2010 RE Store Trash Fashion Show in Seattle, Washington. The Gyre Gown is an educational ensemble designed to teach audiences about the growing problem of plastics in our oceans and waterways. All of the ocean washed trash adorning this gown was collected at Kamilo Beach on the south end of the Big Island of Hawaii. It comes from all over the world.