Chloe Goulding

Shocked by the reality of our plastic pollution issue exposed to me by the ‘Drowning in Plastics’ documentary I was inspired to create an image communicating the deeper hidden issues of the plastics problem that are often left unnoticed and neglected. The ocean floor, habitat to millions of marine life such as pelagic red crabs and giant larvaceans, actually contains four times as much plastic waste as that found on the surface in view to the population. Out of sight the issue results in a lack of awareness or acknowledgement and it was found that majority of this pollution doesn’t originate from fishing equipment but rather single-use beverage and food containers.

I chose to explore the manipulation of these detrimental plastics such as food netting, bottle labels and fruit bags etc. through different techniques. Braiding, crocheting and stretching of the plastics utilized the materials in new forms even creating interesting textures. With inspiration from the environmentalist artist Josh Blackwell, playing with form and texture in order to repurpose the material. I documented my findings through photography aiming to mimic the feel and mood of the Deep Sea through a black background and portrayed them in collage, forming compositions similar to that of the coral. I manipulated the hues and tones of the plastics in order to produce a cold lifeless tone to the picture highlighting the overall negativity and seriousness of the subject.

Currently only 16% of plastics used are being recycled meaning the other 84% ends up on the seabed. The final outcome of my work brings awareness to the fact that if no dramatic lifestyle changes are made or long-term solutions put into action in the near future our coral reefs one day will be dominated by plastics with little to no signs of life.