
Karl Holmberg
Doktorand

Making visible, rendering obscure : Reading the plastic crisis through contemporary artistic visual representations
Författare
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.
Avdelning/ar
- Miljö- och energisystem
- Statsvetenskapliga institutionen
- Avdelningen för ABM, digitala kulturer samt förlags- och bokmarknadskunskap
- LUCSUS
Publiceringsår
2020-05-12
Språk
Engelska
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Global Sustainability
Volym
3
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Cambridge University Press
Ämne
- Visual Arts
Nyckelord
- art
- disposability
- fossil dependency
- pollution
- plastic
Aktiv
Published
Projekt
- Narrating Climate Futures
- STEPS – Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways, Phase 1
- REINVENT Realising Innovation in Transitions for Decarbonisation
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 2059-4798