ICEBERGS: microplastics in the Arctic, installation by Algae Society members and Group de Investigation Arte, Technolgia y Comprimiso Social (AR-TE-CS) at Bellas Artes, UMC. Video projections, fishing net, and plastic milk bottles recycled from a local elementary school.

ICEBERGS: microplastics in the Arctic was developed though a series of conversations with the Algae Society and AR-TE-CS examining the human impact of plastic waste in diverse eco-systems inhabited by phytoplankton and algae.

Fragments of plastic are found at high concentrations in Arctic seawater, photo by Alice Trevail
Fragments of plastic are found at high concentrations in Arctic seawater, photo by Alice Trevail

Even in the Arctic, microscopic particles of plastic have been found. It is believed that microplastics are being blown about by winds and then – through mechanisms which are not fully understood – transported long distances through the atmosphere. The particles are then “washed” out of the atmosphere through precipitation, particularly snow. Plastic waste is also drifting for hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to land on remote Arctic beaches.

Jennifer Parker and Gene Felice created video projections for the giant hanging sculpture made by José Carlos Espinel with AR-TE-CS artists: Elena Blanch González, Rigoberto Camacho, Pedro Terrón Manrique, Mónica Cerrada, and Marta de Cambra.