The plastic iceberg
“The Plastic Iceberg” is an installation piece I created in collaboration with fellow RCA student Yilan Lu as part of Karin Von Ompteda’s “Data Provocation” workshop at the RCA in late 2016.
The Plastic Iceberg is a representation of the ratio of plastics polluting the ocean surface (the very small tip of the ‘iceberg’ model that is shown above the water level) versus the amount of plastics polluting the deep sea.
An estimated 269 000 tonnes of plastic currently covers the ocean surface, accumulating in oceanic gyres. However, plastic microfibers have been estimated to be as many as four orders of magnitude more abundant in deep-sea sediments than on the ocean surface.
This project aims to act as a reminder of the “invisible” problem of plastic pollution in the deep sea, and how a reduction of our plastic wastage is critical in order to preserve our oceans.
