Top 100 artworks

These are our Top 100 submissions of artists for the Universal Sea – pure or plastic?!

 

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Plastic Fountain
by Enrico Bernardis
1420
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https://universal-sea.org/top-100-artworks?contest=photo-detail&photo_id=1654
2
1420
Title:
Plastic Fountain

Author:
Enrico Bernardis

Description:
My proposal consists in the design of a public fountain. A vaporizer spills a collection of high quality tropical plastic plants that direct and turn the falling water into a continue delicate dripping. A mesh is disposed under the plants, suspended from the ground; it is composed by a special synthetic fabric able to hold back micro plastic fibers that has been developed by STOP! MICRO WASTE (S!MW), a non-profit organization from Berlin[1]. Micro plastic fibers constitute the most invisible yet dangerous kind of pollution related to plastic waste, as at this stage the microscopical particles enter the alimentary chain. It is a pollution not exclusively related with solid plastic waste in the natural environment but caused also by simple wrong human habits: removing cosmetics in the sink or washing synthetic cloths in washing machines are the main. A research conducted by OrbMedia[2][3] estimate that around 83% of the tap water in the world contains micro plastic fibers. The fountain is designed to put in evidence this invisible pollution. The mesh may slowly gathers little amount of plastic both coming from the water and the imperceptible decline of the plastic plant's surfaces. The plastic plants deals also with the irresponsible superficiality that transform a very durable matter in kitsch, useless or disposable products. They also underline the beauty of the sculptural and functional natural forms as well the great imitative ability of the human technologies. If the Ben-Gurion University has developed a bacteria genetically modified to feed off polyethylene-terephthalate (PET)[4],making it become degradable and corruptible like every organic matter, we can imagine a future where plastic plants will be as organic as natural ones: a future this project wants to deal with. 1. http://guppyfriend.com/en/ 2. Invisibles: The plastic inside us, by Chris Tyree & Dan Morrison, https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_plastics 3. Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals, The Guardian, September 5, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals 4. Genetically Modified Bacteria Could Eat Away The World’s Massive Plastic Problem, by Einat Paz-Frankel, NoCamels, January 22, 2017. http://nocamels.com/2017/01/genetically-modified-bacteria-eat-plastic/ __The fountain has been chosen because it represents a symbolic element in public space, as it mixes functional, ornamental and educational aims. My art project wants to follow all those three paths: it is a tool to let people see a tangible sign of plastic pollution in our environment, and to trigger the imagination about the future scenario we are building because of our ignorance about this topic. It doesn't provide a solution to plastic waste issue, but it tries to share information about the tools we have to challenged it.
Description:
My proposal consists in the design of a public fountain. A vaporizer spills a collection of high quality tropical plastic plants that direct and turn the falling water into a continue delicate dripping. A mesh is disposed under the plants, suspended from the ground; it is composed by a special synthetic fabric able to hold back micro plastic fibers that has been developed by STOP! MICRO WASTE (S!MW), a non-profit organization from Berlin[1]. Micro plastic fibers constitute the most invisible yet dangerous kind of pollution related to plastic waste, as at this stage the microscopical particles enter the alimentary chain. It is a pollution not exclusively related with solid plastic waste in the natural environment but caused also by simple wrong human habits: removing cosmetics in the sink or washing synthetic cloths in washing machines are the main. A research conducted by OrbMedia[2][3] estimate that around 83% of the tap water in the world contains micro plastic fibers. The fountain is designed to put in evidence this invisible pollution. The mesh may slowly gathers little amount of plastic both coming from the water and the imperceptible decline of the plastic plant's surfaces. The plastic plants deals also with the irresponsible superficiality that transform a very durable matter in kitsch, useless or disposable products. They also underline the beauty of the sculptural and functional natural forms as well the great imitative ability of the human technologies. If the Ben-Gurion University has developed a bacteria genetically modified to feed off polyethylene-terephthalate (PET)[4],making it become degradable and corruptible like every organic matter, we can imagine a future where plastic plants will be as organic as natural ones: a future this project wants to deal with. 1. http://guppyfriend.com/en/ 2. Invisibles: The plastic inside us, by Chris Tyree & Dan Morrison, https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_plastics 3. Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals, The Guardian, September 5, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals 4. Genetically Modified Bacteria Could Eat Away The World’s Massive Plastic Problem, by Einat Paz-Frankel, NoCamels, January 22, 2017. http://nocamels.com/2017/01/genetically-modified-bacteria-eat-plastic/ __The fountain has been chosen because it represents a symbolic element in public space, as it mixes functional, ornamental and educational aims. My art project wants to follow all those three paths: it is a tool to let people see a tangible sign of plastic pollution in our environment, and to trigger the imagination about the future scenario we are building because of our ignorance about this topic. It doesn't provide a solution to plastic waste issue, but it tries to share information about the tools we have to challenged it.
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