Giant Micro Plastic
Artist
Tsuyoshi Anzai
Giant Micro Plastic is an art project that turns microplastics into giant sculptural objects, making visible something that is ordinarily hard for us to see.
Plastic waste is a chronic problem in contemporary society. Being invisible to the naked eye, though, microplastics don’t feel real and this tends to stall progress in the debate about them. In Giant Micro Plastic, Tsuyoshi Anzai uses a microlens to photograph closeups of microplastics collected from the coast, and then reconstructs their texture and shape in the form of massive papercraft sculptures.
Through this process, the project aims to emphasize the surprising beauty and alienness of microplastics, and to encourage new awareness among viewers of microplastics as an invisible problem.
In the participatory aspect of the project, members of the public can take part in collecting the microplastic samples and workshops in partnership with local young people and beach cleanup volunteers, creating opportunities to deepen people’s interest in environmental issues. Giant Micro Plastic is a synthesis of art with education about the environment, attempting to understand a familiar problem from a fresh perspective.
[Types of citizen involvement] Workshop participation, Exhibition viewing
Schedule
July–August: workshop
September: exhibition
・Project Director Nobuyo Hikone
・Project Manager Misako Sasaki
Supported by
・Aqua Dream Project(NPO)
