Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been dumped or lost in the ocean. Fishermen sometimes abandon worn-out nets because it is often the easiest way to get rid of them. These nets, often nearly invisible in the dim light, can be left tangled on a rocky reef or drifting in the open sea. They […]
Category: Uncategorized
When Plastics by V. E. Yarsley and E. G. Couzens was first published, in 1941, the material was still a novelty. The authors enthusiastically discussed its ‘inexhaustible potential applications’, imagining a shiny, colourful future, far away from the ‘dust and smoke’ of war. They concluded by announcing a second industrial revolution, looking to a time when science […]
Reflecting on the quest for material infinity, and the massive changes and opportunities the circular economy offers to designers. Look around you. Wherever you are there will be something that has been designed: beautiful things, functional things, frivolous things. What you can’t see is that behind all these things are intricate supply chains that criss-cross […]
I often read stories of animals being affected by plastic debris in our oceans which are really depressing. Recently there was one that now makes me refuse plastic straws whenever I can. A group of marine biologists in Costa Rica discovered an endangered sea turtle with a 10-12 cm plastic straw lodged in its nostril. Christine Figgener, a […]
Categories
Never Turn Your back on the Ocean
I am having an exhibition and talk on the 18th November at Pentagram, Westbourne Grove. Places are limited so please do book: events@pentagram.com How do you communicate positively about our depressing environmental situation? Sophie Thomas, founder of Thomas.Matthews and Director of Circular Economy at the RSA is on a mission to do just that. In 2014, […]
Categories
What’s in the sand?
If you look really hard you can see all sorts of things in sand. Inspired by the beautiful photos on http://sandgrains.com/Sand-Grains-Gallery.html I used a simple handheld microscope to look more closely at the plastic and sand samples I brought back to London. This set looks closely at the surfaces of plastic debri, like the surface of […]
Categories
a holiday destination?
If you ask many Hawaiian locals if they know Kamilo Point you mostly get a blank look. It’s not a tourist destination or a local hotspot. It’s also really hard to get to as its not on what you would call a road. You need a 4WD and a good sense of direction. We had […]
wasted talent 