Overview
“The Natural Effect” is a human scale wind simulator that uses plastic waste to visualize the impact of plastic discarded into our environment. Wind and ocean currents are the planet’s circulatory system, regulating life on earth. A delicate system of causes and effects, balanced between the cold air of the poles and the hot air of the equator. Sadly we have hacked into this system with plastic waste.
Having sailed world wide, lived between Hawaii and New York, I have witnessed the impact of the trash vortex and plastic pollution on our oceans. As world trash keeps drifting onto Hawaii’s pristine beeches, cities like New York keep dumping overwhelming amounts of plastic into the environment, uncaring of its consequences.
I believe that as we increasingly grow physically and culturally disconnected from our natural surroundings, we learn to ignore the consequences of our actions. “The Natural Effect” is an attempt to fill this gap.
Using the laws of “apparent deflection”, I simulate a miniature garbage vortex using powerful fans to push air up, down and around the room. The visitor walks into a controlled environment were wind currents sculpt the surrounding space with dunes and patterns of plastic particles. Here the visitor position is reverted from “the polluter” to “the one polluted upon”.
Each plastic specimen will be collected from various cities across the world via an online open call. Each specimen is carefully documented, including photographs, geo tag, description, size, color, how and when it became waste and the name of the person that collected it.
During the installation this documentation will be exhibited in a separate room. At the end of the event, the garbage is recollected and sold as art along with its documentation.
