Plastic Perennial: A House of the Anthropocene

Publication Date

Fall 12-5-2024

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

Watkins College of Art

Department

Honors Program

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Art

Faculty Advisor

Christine Rodgers

Metadata/Fulltext

Metadata ONLY

SPARK Session

Independent Presentation: Art-Based

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

Plastic Perennial is an architectural installment that critiques humanity’s dependency on plastic, leading toward the various environmental consequences it causes. Built entirely out of recycled plastic bottles, the structure is a contributing symbol of human innovation that has advanced society while simultaneously causing ecological harm. By highlighting the persistence of plastic pollution and the resilience of plant life, this piece of work offers a unique and creative approach to the influences of the Anthropocene.

This installation takes the form of a ten-foot house, constructed from over ten thousand plastic bottles fused together. Empty and hollow, each plastic bottle emphasizes the depletion of natural sources, such as flowing water that is contained and contaminated with microplastics. Vines serve as the perennial plant as they intertwine and compact the bottles into the house-like structure, yet these plants lack the nutrients necessary for survival, the plastic bottles becoming unnecessary to their growth. Nature’s struggle against human factors employs the placement of the structure to be positioned in front of political landmarks drawing attention to systemic inaction on climate change, similar to the commentary of Isaac Cordal’s distinctive artwork.

A warning sign, “Choking Hazard: A Caution of Society,” forces viewers to confront plastic’s potent harm to pollution’s role and the emission of global greenhouse gases. Designed to self-destruct, the structure collapses into a pile of plastic and vines, in forcing its distinctive message of the degradation of environmental conditions, aligning to Timothy Morton’s Hyperobjects as a portrayal of plastic in overwhelming omnipresent manner.

Drawing inspiration from artists such as Tara Donovan’s illustrious work and the showcase of real-world contributions such as Robert Benzeau’s plastic bottle village in Panama, Plastic Perennial serves as a reflection of humanity’s call to environmental distress and a call to forward action that may reap the consequences of plastic waste - leaving behind a house, not a home.

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