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plastic waste collected May 22-28, 2017 for a family of six; inventoried by color, shape, size, and recycling category

initial list; spreadsheet with analysis

the bulk of the waste collected was plastic bags used for food. these fell into the ‘flat’ and ‘clear’ inventory categories and were typically medium-size, recycling category 4 or ‘none.’

Waste has become part of the landscape.  This is immediately apparent at any beach.  For this studio, I will consider waste as an object, as a system, as a social phenomenon.  The beach provides context.  It is the starting point for research, commentary, and discovery, and it will be the site for design intervention.

Research Questions:

1. What is plastic?  How are plastics separated into different recycling categories?  Which pose the greatest threat?  Which are the easiest to corral/recover/recycle/eliminate?
2. What is the connection between plastic and petroleum (petrochemicals)?
3. Considering visible and invisible effects…a whale or seabird with plastic debris clogging its digestive system I can understand; what are the microscopic or chemical concerns?
4. Inventory the plastics we use daily; which are noble uses of plastic? Ignoble?
5. Consider the commercial places we go…where are plastics prevalent?  Hospitals/health care comes to mind
6. How can we celebrate the aesthetic while drawing attention to the challenge of cleaning up/preventing plastic waste?  Perhaps a satirical design or a functional design using recovered/recycled plastic?
7. What do we do with plastic recovered from the beach or ocean?  Does it simple go to a landfill!?
8. What processes have been successful in changing collective cultural mindset?
9. What are the ‘natural’ alternatives to plastic?
10. Was consumerism an influence for 1960’s Pop Art?  Can a new wave of pop art reduce the disposable mentality?

Methodology Diagram:

Starting point:

problem > research > principles > framework > strategies/tactics > concepts > proposition

Refined:

Initial phase: discovery

1. Research to understand nature of plastic, types, threat/risk, degree of recovery/elimination
2. Research to consider social aspects of waste/waste management/collective cultural change
3. Objectively observe self, family, others; seek others’ observations, opinions, habits

Intermediate phase: design proposal/product development

4. Consider scope/scale/spheres of influence (individual, community, island, state, nation, society, +)
5. Identify/classify problem(s) by scale/scope; three potential categories: solutions to polluted oceans (blue water and/or coastal), methods of exposing issue and educating (aim to systematically change culture), methods to use collected waste material to celebrate aesthetic and create a functional or satirical (a la Archigram) system/product/design (aim to reduce waste physically or through behavior modification)
6. Formulate design criteria (principles)
7. Consider potential outcomes (e.g. design, product, policy, campaign)
8. Re-evaluate scope/scale, adherence to design criteria, required research
9. Refine design criteria/outcome(s)

Final phase: design proposal/production refinement

10. Propose/produce
11. Re-evaluate/Refine
12. Present!

Research/experience begins!