Making visible, rendering obscure : Reading the plastic crisis through contemporary artistic visual representations

Summary, in English

Since the mid-twentieth century, plastic has become a ubiquitous material. However, its produc- tion, consumption and disposal on a massive scale have led to a range of devastating conse- quences that together form the ‘plastic crisis’. This paper presents a novel mapping of the ways contemporary artistic visual representations narrate and politicize the plastic crisis through their different messages and aesthetics. Drawing on a multifaceted understanding of the plastic crisis and on how art navigates political and aesthetic spheres, an analysis of 35 artworks is con- ducted. Ocean plastic pollution emerges as a dominant theme, together with disposability; and these are connected to consumption patterns and consumer responsibility. However, less atten- tion is given to plastic’s dependence on fossil fuels and possible toxicity. The result is art of strik- ing beauty and emotional resonance, but that downplays the systemic nature of the plastic crisis and the urgent need to hold manufacturers and regulators to account.

• Author: Ekaterina Chertkovskaya; Karl Holmberg; Moa Petersén; Johannes Stripple; Sara Ullström
• Department/s: Environmental and Energy Systems Studies; Department of Political Science; Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies; LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
• Publishing year: 2020-05-12
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Global Sustainability
• Volume: 3
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.10
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Topic: Visual Arts
• Keywords: art; disposability; fossil dependency; pollution; plastic
• Status: Published
• Project: Narrating Climate Futures; STEPS – Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways, Phase 1; REINVENT Realising Innovation in Transitions for Decarbonisation
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 2059-4798