Spotlight on plastic

A quick glance up next time you’re dining at Wood Fire Grill will enlighten you to a colourful project changing lives around the world.
Plastic waste, and what to do with it, is a huge global problem and the new lampshades recently installed in the dining space at WFG on the river offer a creative solution.
Each lampshade has been handcrafted using traditional weaving practises from a combination of plastic drink bottles and natural fibres and were crafted as part of the PET Lamp project, which involves artisans in Columbia, Chile, Ethiopia, Japan and Australia.
“We love that we are supporting a group of artisans who are taking something that has a small life in regards to use but a very long life in regards to breaking down, and creating something stylish and functional,” Wood Fire Grill manager David Jouy said.
PET Lamp started in 2012 with the aim of creating a product that could be mass produced by hand.
The lampshades created in each country reflect the historic weaving traditions of the people making them.
In Colombia the artisans weave with palm tree fibres brightly coloured with natural pigments, or natural wool fibres, and often work as family units.
The lampshades made in Ethiopia feature bright colours, mandala-like patterns, are often wide and broad in shape and woven from a mix of the plastic bottles and specially prepared and coloured grass.
In the Northern Territory the community work with dried and pandanus and palm leaves dyed with roots and soil pigments.
For more information visit www.petlamp.org