Series 3: Plastic Fossils

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Project Statement

Plastic Fossils is an ongoing body of work exploring the paradox of human innovation and environmental destruction through the lens of single-use plastics. These works confront our “out of sight, out of mind” mentality toward waste in a linear economy — where plastic, made from fossil fuels, moves from creation to discard, leaving behind shards of an unsustainable system.

At the center of this exploration is the single-use plastic bottle — a symbol of modern convenience, consumption, and environmental harm. I display the bottle on works on paper, ceramics, and with plastic itself. In all artistic forms, the bottle becomes a relic — a toxic object of beauty demanding reflection rather than disregard.

This body of work expands with a chess set made entirely of single-use plastics, symbolizing the ongoing battle between environmental stewardship and industrial profit.

Plastic waste tells a larger story: as fossil fuel companies face declining demand for oil, they are investing heavily in plastic production. Meanwhile, wealthier nations like the U.S. export their plastic waste to poorer countries, offloading environmental responsibility while polluting global waters and landscapes. The result is a global system that preserves plastic not just in landfills, but in history — a toxic legacy, still being written.

Plastic Fossils asks us to confront the hidden life of plastic and its enduring presence — a material legacy that, like ancient artifacts, may one day tell the story of our civilization’s values and failures. It invites viewers to question how our linear economy undermines the cyclical natural world — and how we, as individuals and a collective, participate in it.

The World Is Awash in Plastic. Oil Companies Want A Say in How It’s Cleaned Up. NPR (2023)

The World Is Awash in Plastic. Nations Plan a Treaty to Fix That. The New York Times (2022).

History and Future of Plastics. The Science History Institute Museum and Library.

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