Flotsam and Jetsam art competition enters 10th year

Public holidays are a great chance to relax with your feet up and relish the last few moments of a three-day weekend. But dozens of local artists had a different idea on Monday, skipping the sleep-in to dig through rubbish at the Geraldton Fisherman’s Wharf hunting for the perfect pieces for the 2021 Flotsam and Jetsam art competition. The wharf was buzzing with activity as 25 volunteers organised the five tonnes of debris they had brought back from the Abrolhos Islands into separate piles of salty materials. Latitude Jewellers owner and competition organiser Pia Boschetti said she was moved to see such a strong interest as the competition entered its 10th year. “In past years it would only take us one day to collect enough junk,” she said. “Now it’s taking three days, which I think really shows the clean-up is having a positive effect.” This year the clean-up efforts focused on the mangroves of Pelsaert Isand, which volunteers carefully navigated under guidance from marine ecologist Dr Chris Surman. Ms Boschetti said aspiring entrants had shown a lot of excitement for the optional theme this year — wearable art. Artists had four hours to rummage through the discarded objects on offer, but within 30 minutes, most of the materials had gone. They now have six weeks to transform the salty debris into works of art, which will go on display at Latitude Jewellers on May 1.