These are our Top 100 submissions of artists for the Universal Sea – pure or plastic?!
7
Everyday Plastic
1665
Title:
Everyday Plastic
Everyday Plastic
Author:
DanielWebb
DanielWebb
Description:
During a run along the coast one evening in September last year, I came across vast amounts of plastic waste that had been swept in by the waves. There had been a storm the night before and most of the debris had entangled itself in the washed-up seaweed. Much of it was unrecognisable; either smoothed by years in the sea, or from a different era or origin altogether... It got me thinking: how much plastic is in the sea? Is any of it mine? Do I recycle enough? How much rubbish could one person living alone actually produce…? I decided that for the next 12 months, starting 1 January 2017, I would not throw away any of the plastic waste I produced. Not a bottle top, piece of bubble wrap, straw, toothbrush, salad bag, coffee lid, clothing label - whether I was at home or out and about - would be thrown away. As we approach the end of the year, I expect to have around 22 bin bags stored in my flat, filled to the brim with plastic items. Each one has a single fleeting function, yet an almost eternal existence. The results so far are as stark as they are shocking. I want to show and share with people what a year's worth of your plastic waste looks like. It is this simple ambition that forms the concept of this new project centred around our individual contribution to plastic pollution. The centrepiece will take the form of a large sculpture laid across the floor as if disposed of, constructed of a year's worth of all my salvaged plastic waste. Viewers will be surrounded by tens of thousands of familiar pieces of everyday rubbish. This immersive sculpture will clearly illustrate just one person's impact on plastic pollution in a tangible, visual and visceral manner. The images on the attached document show the current progress on collection this year. Taken in September, there are tens of thousands of individual items. Whilst many are bulky pieces such as paint pots, bleach bottles or polystyrene padding, most are small and awkward bits such as milk bottle caps, cable ties or broken pieces of wrapping. The main image at the top is from a test shoot, showing a birds eye view of just two bags emptied onto the floor. At around 2.5m x 1.5m, the final sculpture is anticipated to be over 15m in length and 4m wide. The most important step in the discussion around plastic pollution is to improve communication between environmentalists, journalists and scientists and the general public. The issues may appear to be discussed more openly, however, under the disguise of the echo chamber, is awareness really being boosted? I want to remove any preachiness, earnestness and reprimand from the conversation, and start from the beginning. I have been working with a researcher to look into what our individual impact on plastic pollution is. Backed up with statistics and data, my actions would be based around The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The Good: despite a bad reputation, plastic has many benefits. For example, cars and airplanes are now fitted with plastic parts making them lighter, therefore using less fuel and emitting less CO2 into the atmosphere. What other amazing opportunities has plastic provided? The Bad: how has plastic impacted on our daily lives in a negative way? We are surrounded by rubbish on the streets, countryside, beaches and seas. The cheap prices of our goods means we can afford to throw away items and buy them new. Our lunchtime sandwiches are wrapped in plastic packets, which means we can eat quickly on the go. Does plastic mean that we spend less time to savoir our food or less care over our possessions? The Ugly: what do we think the future will look like if we continue consuming the way we do? What upsets us most about images of plastic pollution? People swimming in the polluted rivers in the slums of Manila? Shores of uninhabited islands awash with discarded plastic? Or sea turtles entangled in disused fishing nets or birds with stomachs full of cigarette lighters?
During a run along the coast one evening in September last year, I came across vast amounts of plastic waste that had been swept in by the waves. There had been a storm the night before and most of the debris had entangled itself in the washed-up seaweed. Much of it was unrecognisable; either smoothed by years in the sea, or from a different era or origin altogether... It got me thinking: how much plastic is in the sea? Is any of it mine? Do I recycle enough? How much rubbish could one person living alone actually produce…? I decided that for the next 12 months, starting 1 January 2017, I would not throw away any of the plastic waste I produced. Not a bottle top, piece of bubble wrap, straw, toothbrush, salad bag, coffee lid, clothing label - whether I was at home or out and about - would be thrown away. As we approach the end of the year, I expect to have around 22 bin bags stored in my flat, filled to the brim with plastic items. Each one has a single fleeting function, yet an almost eternal existence. The results so far are as stark as they are shocking. I want to show and share with people what a year's worth of your plastic waste looks like. It is this simple ambition that forms the concept of this new project centred around our individual contribution to plastic pollution. The centrepiece will take the form of a large sculpture laid across the floor as if disposed of, constructed of a year's worth of all my salvaged plastic waste. Viewers will be surrounded by tens of thousands of familiar pieces of everyday rubbish. This immersive sculpture will clearly illustrate just one person's impact on plastic pollution in a tangible, visual and visceral manner. The images on the attached document show the current progress on collection this year. Taken in September, there are tens of thousands of individual items. Whilst many are bulky pieces such as paint pots, bleach bottles or polystyrene padding, most are small and awkward bits such as milk bottle caps, cable ties or broken pieces of wrapping. The main image at the top is from a test shoot, showing a birds eye view of just two bags emptied onto the floor. At around 2.5m x 1.5m, the final sculpture is anticipated to be over 15m in length and 4m wide. The most important step in the discussion around plastic pollution is to improve communication between environmentalists, journalists and scientists and the general public. The issues may appear to be discussed more openly, however, under the disguise of the echo chamber, is awareness really being boosted? I want to remove any preachiness, earnestness and reprimand from the conversation, and start from the beginning. I have been working with a researcher to look into what our individual impact on plastic pollution is. Backed up with statistics and data, my actions would be based around The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The Good: despite a bad reputation, plastic has many benefits. For example, cars and airplanes are now fitted with plastic parts making them lighter, therefore using less fuel and emitting less CO2 into the atmosphere. What other amazing opportunities has plastic provided? The Bad: how has plastic impacted on our daily lives in a negative way? We are surrounded by rubbish on the streets, countryside, beaches and seas. The cheap prices of our goods means we can afford to throw away items and buy them new. Our lunchtime sandwiches are wrapped in plastic packets, which means we can eat quickly on the go. Does plastic mean that we spend less time to savoir our food or less care over our possessions? The Ugly: what do we think the future will look like if we continue consuming the way we do? What upsets us most about images of plastic pollution? People swimming in the polluted rivers in the slums of Manila? Shores of uninhabited islands awash with discarded plastic? Or sea turtles entangled in disused fishing nets or birds with stomachs full of cigarette lighters?
Description:
During a run along the coast one evening in September last year, I came across vast amounts of plastic waste that had been swept in by the waves. There had been a storm the night before and most of the debris had entangled itself in the washed-up seaweed. Much of it was unrecognisable; either smoothed by years in the sea, or from a different era or origin altogether... It got me thinking: how much plastic is in the sea? Is any of it mine? Do I recycle enough? How much rubbish could one person living alone actually produce…? I decided that for the next 12 months, starting 1 January 2017, I would not throw away any of the plastic waste I produced. Not a bottle top, piece of bubble wrap, straw, toothbrush, salad bag, coffee lid, clothing label - whether I was at home or out and about - would be thrown away. As we approach the end of the year, I expect to have around 22 bin bags stored in my flat, filled to the brim with plastic items. Each one has a single fleeting function, yet an almost eternal existence. The results so far are as stark as they are shocking. I want to show and share with people what a year's worth of your plastic waste looks like. It is this simple ambition that forms the concept of this new project centred around our individual contribution to plastic pollution. The centrepiece will take the form of a large sculpture laid across the floor as if disposed of, constructed of a year's worth of all my salvaged plastic waste. Viewers will be surrounded by tens of thousands of familiar pieces of everyday rubbish. This immersive sculpture will clearly illustrate just one person's impact on plastic pollution in a tangible, visual and visceral manner. The images on the attached document show the current progress on collection this year. Taken in September, there are tens of thousands of individual items. Whilst many are bulky pieces such as paint pots, bleach bottles or polystyrene padding, most are small and awkward bits such as milk bottle caps, cable ties or broken pieces of wrapping. The main image at the top is from a test shoot, showing a birds eye view of just two bags emptied onto the floor. At around 2.5m x 1.5m, the final sculpture is anticipated to be over 15m in length and 4m wide. The most important step in the discussion around plastic pollution is to improve communication between environmentalists, journalists and scientists and the general public. The issues may appear to be discussed more openly, however, under the disguise of the echo chamber, is awareness really being boosted? I want to remove any preachiness, earnestness and reprimand from the conversation, and start from the beginning. I have been working with a researcher to look into what our individual impact on plastic pollution is. Backed up with statistics and data, my actions would be based around The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The Good: despite a bad reputation, plastic has many benefits. For example, cars and airplanes are now fitted with plastic parts making them lighter, therefore using less fuel and emitting less CO2 into the atmosphere. What other amazing opportunities has plastic provided? The Bad: how has plastic impacted on our daily lives in a negative way? We are surrounded by rubbish on the streets, countryside, beaches and seas. The cheap prices of our goods means we can afford to throw away items and buy them new. Our lunchtime sandwiches are wrapped in plastic packets, which means we can eat quickly on the go. Does plastic mean that we spend less time to savoir our food or less care over our possessions? The Ugly: what do we think the future will look like if we continue consuming the way we do? What upsets us most about images of plastic pollution? People swimming in the polluted rivers in the slums of Manila? Shores of uninhabited islands awash with discarded plastic? Or sea turtles entangled in disused fishing nets or birds with stomachs full of cigarette lighters?
During a run along the coast one evening in September last year, I came across vast amounts of plastic waste that had been swept in by the waves. There had been a storm the night before and most of the debris had entangled itself in the washed-up seaweed. Much of it was unrecognisable; either smoothed by years in the sea, or from a different era or origin altogether... It got me thinking: how much plastic is in the sea? Is any of it mine? Do I recycle enough? How much rubbish could one person living alone actually produce…? I decided that for the next 12 months, starting 1 January 2017, I would not throw away any of the plastic waste I produced. Not a bottle top, piece of bubble wrap, straw, toothbrush, salad bag, coffee lid, clothing label - whether I was at home or out and about - would be thrown away. As we approach the end of the year, I expect to have around 22 bin bags stored in my flat, filled to the brim with plastic items. Each one has a single fleeting function, yet an almost eternal existence. The results so far are as stark as they are shocking. I want to show and share with people what a year's worth of your plastic waste looks like. It is this simple ambition that forms the concept of this new project centred around our individual contribution to plastic pollution. The centrepiece will take the form of a large sculpture laid across the floor as if disposed of, constructed of a year's worth of all my salvaged plastic waste. Viewers will be surrounded by tens of thousands of familiar pieces of everyday rubbish. This immersive sculpture will clearly illustrate just one person's impact on plastic pollution in a tangible, visual and visceral manner. The images on the attached document show the current progress on collection this year. Taken in September, there are tens of thousands of individual items. Whilst many are bulky pieces such as paint pots, bleach bottles or polystyrene padding, most are small and awkward bits such as milk bottle caps, cable ties or broken pieces of wrapping. The main image at the top is from a test shoot, showing a birds eye view of just two bags emptied onto the floor. At around 2.5m x 1.5m, the final sculpture is anticipated to be over 15m in length and 4m wide. The most important step in the discussion around plastic pollution is to improve communication between environmentalists, journalists and scientists and the general public. The issues may appear to be discussed more openly, however, under the disguise of the echo chamber, is awareness really being boosted? I want to remove any preachiness, earnestness and reprimand from the conversation, and start from the beginning. I have been working with a researcher to look into what our individual impact on plastic pollution is. Backed up with statistics and data, my actions would be based around The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The Good: despite a bad reputation, plastic has many benefits. For example, cars and airplanes are now fitted with plastic parts making them lighter, therefore using less fuel and emitting less CO2 into the atmosphere. What other amazing opportunities has plastic provided? The Bad: how has plastic impacted on our daily lives in a negative way? We are surrounded by rubbish on the streets, countryside, beaches and seas. The cheap prices of our goods means we can afford to throw away items and buy them new. Our lunchtime sandwiches are wrapped in plastic packets, which means we can eat quickly on the go. Does plastic mean that we spend less time to savoir our food or less care over our possessions? The Ugly: what do we think the future will look like if we continue consuming the way we do? What upsets us most about images of plastic pollution? People swimming in the polluted rivers in the slums of Manila? Shores of uninhabited islands awash with discarded plastic? Or sea turtles entangled in disused fishing nets or birds with stomachs full of cigarette lighters?
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