The Art of (Up)Recycling: How Plastic Debris Has Become a Matter of Art?

Since 1907, when Bakelite was invented, there has been a dramatic rise in the daily usage of plastic-like materials. Today, its negative impacts are a part of scientific studies and public debates. Art and artists play a significant role in these discussions. They mediate between the specialist content and public awareness. This study is dedicated to the artworks of artists using plastic waste collected from the seashore. I organized their works into three lines, within which artists have different threads of plastic interference in the natural environment. The artists examine: 1. The future of a planet dominated by plastic products, like Bonita Ely’s work from the Plasticus Progressus series that predict post-human existence. 2. The conceptual metaphors of contemporary culture, presented in Bounty, Pilfered by Pam Longobardi. It is an installation constructed from fishing debris. 3. The “nature-cultural” forms, i.e., organic constructions created by human interference and modified by nature, like Crochet Coral Reefs. The cooperation of volunteers with Margaret and Christine Wertheim produced this artwork. The artistic intervention creates new cultural and natural forms. This kind of artistic attitude towards waste is a formal and aesthetic innovation of various materials used in artistic practices. It also makes a significant commentary about the future of Earth. In a discussion about art producing unnecessary objects, recycling artistic material seems more ethical than using non-renewable materials obtained from natural sources.