Making visible, rendering obscure : Reading the plastic crisis through contemporary artistic visual representations
(2020) In Global Sustainability 3.- Abstract
- 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.... (More)
- 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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/8012758e-18d8-4864-8bd5-0f4c7883d848
- author
- Chertkovskaya, Ekaterina LU ; Holmberg, Karl LU ; Petersén, Moa LU ; Stripple, Johannes LU and Ullström, Sara LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020-05-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- art, disposability, fossil dependency, pollution, plastic
- in
- Global Sustainability
- volume
- 3
- article number
- e14
- publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85085033885
- ISSN
- 2059-4798
- DOI
- 10.1017/sus.2020.10
- project
- Narrating Climate Futures
- STEPS – Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways, Phase 1
- REINVENT Realising Innovation in Transitions for Decarbonisation
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 8012758e-18d8-4864-8bd5-0f4c7883d848
- date added to LUP
- 2020-02-03 11:06:44
- date last changed
- 2024-01-16 20:13:13
@article{8012758e-18d8-4864-8bd5-0f4c7883d848, abstract = {{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 = {{Chertkovskaya, Ekaterina and Holmberg, Karl and Petersén, Moa and Stripple, Johannes and Ullström, Sara}}, issn = {{2059-4798}}, keywords = {{art; disposability; fossil dependency; pollution; plastic}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{05}}, publisher = {{Cambridge University Press}}, series = {{Global Sustainability}}, title = {{Making visible, rendering obscure : Reading the plastic crisis through contemporary artistic visual representations}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.10}}, doi = {{10.1017/sus.2020.10}}, volume = {{3}}, year = {{2020}}, }