From no solution to nature's design solution

Martin Hill, Olivia Egerton and on screen Anny Tubbs

Last weekend I took part in a virtual discussion about art and environmental change with Anny Tubbs who made a film about Mandy Barker’s art practice and her exhibition Shelf Life touring the world supported by the British Council and now showing at Te Atamira Queenstown

The exhibition consists of large photographs constructed digitally by layering images of plastic waste washed up and collected from Henderson Island in the Pacific Ocean.

Our conversation included the question of art strategy when communicating about ecological issues and climate change. I believe that awareness of the devastating problems of environmental degradation are now well known and showing more horrors does not inspire people to engage in the solutions.

My question is what might the solution to plastic waste be. When I researched online the answer is redesign plastic products to become regenerative, and harmless to nature.

Industrial and consumer waste was the very problem that inspired me to begin making ephemeral art in nature about ecological design 25 years ago when I presented a talk at the first Eco Design Conference at MIT in Melbourne.

One of the winners of the Earth Shot Prize this month was a circular biomimicry design product made from kelp.

This is the most exciting innovation and potential solution to eliminating the flow of plastic waste to our oceans and the global environment.