Coke or Pepsi?

23 Kt Gold Coca-Cola bottles, Silver Pepsi Bottles, Glass Aquarium 36 x 9 x 11” , with graphite drawing

Coca-Cola wins the gold and Pepsi takes the silver as the two leading plastic polluters in the world.

The New Coal

23 Kt Gold Leafed plastic water bottles and vintage coal scuttle 11 x 20”

Plastic is made from fossil fuels, and the US is in the process of bringing 42 new plastic refineries online. According to the oil industry’s own greenhouse gas emissions data, this is like adding 27 new coal plants. Most of these plastic refineries are situated near low income communities, like the notorious Cancer Alley in Louisiana. Plastic is becoming the new coal.

Crystal Geyser Collection

Nine 23 Kt gold leafed plastic Crystal Geyser water bottles in aquarium

Crystal Geyser happened to be the most common brand of plastic water bottles I found as litter. Less than 6% of our plastic waste is recycled in the US. The remainder goes to landfills or incineration, where they emit greenhouse gases and other toxic emissions. And of course, some end up in the ocean.

Wishcycling

23 Kt gold leafed plastic waste and blue plastic recycling bin

Wishcycling is when people put things in the recycling bin that they hope will be recycled. Just because something has the chasing arrows doesn’t mean it can or will be recycled. None of the containers in this artwork are typically recycled—they consist of #5 (yogurt tub), #6 (sushi trays), #7 plastic (Florida’s Natural orange juice) and a Starbucks cup (layered paper and plastic—not recyclable or compostable).

Grab-N-Go

23 Kt gold leafed non-recyclable single-use food items, wood and plexiglass counter case

These single use items are all made from plastic that is not recycled. Despite the chasing arrows sign on the bottom of the #5 plastic containers in this display, #5 plastic is almost never recycled in the US. The coffee bag and food wrappers have plastic linings and are not recyclable either. They will end up in landfills, incinerators, and the ocean.

These items may be convenient, but are they really affordable? Perhaps up front, but the long term costs of disposal and environmental damage are much higher.

Forever Peanuts

23 Kt gold leafed styrofoam peanuts, vintage Japanese aquarium

Styrofoam peanuts are not biodegradable or recyclable, and can last in the environment for hundreds of years. Because these are small, lightweight and float they can be easily mistaken for food by marine life. Hopefully one day they will be a relic of the past.

Whole Plastics

23 Kt gold leafed food packaging, shopping basket

Grocery stores are filled with plastic containers. Whole Foods brands itself as a store for healthy eating, yet their stores are filled with plastic. The items in this artwork were purchased at Whole Foods— popcorn, orange juice, half and half, dried fruit, dishwashing soap, tofu, nuts. None of these items were available without plastic packaging, leaving customers with no plastic-free choices.

The Problem with Prime

23 Kt gold leafed Amazon Prime packages, vintage mail box

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer and generated 599 million pounds of packaging waste in 2021 alone. The plastic packaging is not recycled and ends up in landfills, incinerators and the ocean. Some countries require Amazon to reuse its packaging but this is not happening in the US.

FAQ

Why is this show virtual instead of in-person?

These works were created for a public venue, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made that difficult. Because the plastic crisis is not waiting for the pandemic to be over, I chose to make a virtual exhibition. I plan to display it publicly in the future, but for now, virtual is the best way to tell this story and reach more people.

Why make artwork about plastic?

My art has always been focused on the ocean, channeling its vast and peaceful qualities.  It is impossible these days to consider the ocean and not think about the plastic pollution problem.  I feel heartbroken every time I see a story about the devastation plastic is wreaking on our oceans.  Plastic is found in every part of the ocean and it doesn’t go away.  It breaks down into micro-plastics, which float, attract toxins, and are eaten by creatures great and small.  Seabirds and marine mammals are dying with stomachs filled with plastic trash.  The micro-plastics and their associated toxins are ingested by fish, and enter our human food supply.  Furthermore, plastics generate more and more greenhouse gases every year, which contribute to ocean acidification and warming.

But instead of reducing our plastic consumption, we are increasing plastic production every year. in 2019, the world created over 350 million tons of new plastic, and approximately half of this is single-use plastic. Less than 6% of plastic is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. The vastness of the ocean inspires my art, but I began to wonder—are our oceans vast enough for all of this?

Why Aquariums?

An aquarium can be a beautiful aquatic scenario, filled with fish and plants, creating a vibrant simulation of ocean life. My aquaria are filled with plastic instead, which is the direction we are headed if we don’t change our plastic consumption habits. Ocean plastic is harming all forms of marine life, from plankton to whales. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that if we don’t change our plastic consumption habits, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

Why use gold?

Because I want us to really see the plastic.  Plastic is so prevalent in our society that we don’t even notice it a lot of the time.  For example, when’s the last time you noticed that every aisle in your grocery store is filled with single-use plastic?  Plastic has become a norm.

But gold captures our attention.  We notice gold.  There’s also some absurdity involved in gold-leafing plastic trash, just as it’s absurd to use a product that will last for hundreds of years for only a few seconds. The gold leaf is meant to bring attention to the plastic and help us see it differently.

Although I have used gold leaf in my artwork for many years to represent the sublime and the spiritual qualities of nature,  gold also alludes to money and value—both drivers of the plastic pollution problem. Plastic is very cheap, profitable and convenient, although it is quite expensive in the long run in terms of clean-up costs and environmental damage.  I want the artwork to help us think about what we really value.  What is the true cost of our consumer culture of convenience?

Where did the plastic waste come from ?

All of the plastic bottles for the project were found in nature, sadly. The non-recyclable plastic items were recovered from the trash bins of friends and family.