They're an annoying plastic convenience that we all throw away, but one Central West artist has turned them into myriad craft works.

"A Lot of Little Nothings" is a new mixed-media installation created by artist Shani Nottingham that explores issues surrounding the mass waste of single-use plastic bread tags, consumption and their environmental impact. The installation is currently on display at the Western Plains Cultural Centre until the end of May.

Utilising the mundane bread tags, which have been found, collected and donated, Shani Nottingham fashions large sculptures that echo and mimic forms of nature to create an ultra-dimensional world.

A Lot of Little Nothings is a body of work that transforms and reimagines material beyond its initial purpose and expands its lifespan, reimaging and presenting its entities with a life force that is growing, thriving and multiplying within a new environment.

“As small pieces of single use plastic, bread tags are an abundant waste material, a polluting product that I reclaim and transform,” said artist Shani Nottingham.

She describes her work as “moving the bread tags past their initial purpose and life span to become something that has value and meaning, provoking response and creating a space for dialogue about single use plastic and waste”.

“Whatever the medium, I am continually drawn to pattern, colour, line and repetition. The theme of collecting is consistent too, as I find solace and joy in the process of creating order from chaos, observing similarities and disparities.”

Shani Nottingham is a Cowra-based artist and has been selected to be part of the HomeGround program. HomeGround is an initiative of SPARC, Dubbo Regional Council’s Cultural Plan, which aims to support the continued growth of the professional creative sector in the region through professional development and mentorship of emerging artists.

“A Lot of Little Nothings is an amazing installation that aims to highlight the abundance of single-use plastic, the impact it is having on our environment and our relationship with plastic on both a large and small scale,” said Western Plains Cultural Centre curator Mariam Abboud.