Coming in from an island in the West Indies, Lila Roo’s body of work “Royalty” brings vibrant colour and texture to the walls of the Merchant Gallery. The sculptural tapestries in this body of work are laborious testaments to transformation, made entirely, yet imperceptibly, from repurposed plastic. And the photographs in the show are visions of Caribbean people, adorned by such works of art and amidst their lush and raw home. Both media of art in this show unveil a regal beauty which is otherwise often hidden or overpowered by the global, frenzied mass consumption of modern life and its objects, ideals, and idols. Roo’s series of slender sculptural tapestries in this show, are a progression of her unique and signature style. They offer the potential for transformation of material through time and energy, thus changing the way we value that material. Her pieces are made from durable single-use plastics which have been discarded, collected and cleaned. She works daily over many years to braid, bind and fuse them together. Resulting is a rich and energetic array of tactile, woven, hue. Her pieces take years to make because of her refined collection and assembly process; it is likely that any given piece contains materials from numerous places around the world.