How long does it take to use up all those “useful” collected plastic bags? Since 2005 my household has banned the new acquisition of plastic bags, in order to use up all the “garbage bags” collected over previous years. Now almost 5 years later we are still using up those saved, and as hard as we try, new bags keep coming our way: bread bags, pasta bags, toilet-paper roll bags, etc. As our supply of plastic bags refused to diminish, we decided to avoid all plastic-wrapped products whenever comparable non-plastic choices are available. The plastic used to make this exhibition is a portion of that unavoidable plastic, collected over a one-year period. For this exhibition I used clear plastics only, in order to preserve the anonymity of the product and to focus uniquely on the material: PLASTIC.
During the preparation for this exhibition I reflected on plastic in general, and specifically, about the plastic that has been found in the northwestern gyre: In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is a swirling mass of tiny particles of plastic that will not disintegrate. The mass is so big (the estimated surface of the contaminated area is estimated to be at least four times the size of Finland, and continues as far as 10 meters deep) and the pieces so small that there is almost no hope of purifying the area.
This project is born out of my concern for the increasingly offensive quantity of plastic in our oceans. As many, I am both shocked and worried to see that the general use of plastic is not being visibly reduced even though we have observed its distressing effects on the environment. It is overwhelming to consider that we still do not control the majority of plastics that have been made over the last 50 years, and yet we continue to create, produce, use and consume plastic in ways that are hurtful to ourselves and to our environment.