Knot appeared as part of the LandMark art exhibit in Lakewood, CO from April - October, 2021. Measuring 33 feet by 15 feet, it consisted of a modular origami chain of HDPE house wrap (aka Tyvek) and quilted strips of single-use plastic packaging atop polypropylene landscaping fabric. For six months these symbols of American convenience and abundance were pinned to the ground, inspiring curiosity and wonder as people saw familiar products used in surprising ways. When removed, the installation left a scar on the land where the light was blocked and the grasses were choked out, revealing the insidious side of our dependence on plastic: its enormous environmental toll. In the coming years, the scar that remains will fill in with new growth, echoing the optimism I harbor about our ability to innovate and ultimately solve the problems the current generation of plastics poses.
knot
April 12
June 17
October 21
April 14
June 3
May
August
Art has a way of surprising even its makers. Over the course of the exhibit, much was revealed about the way in which plastic behaves in the environment once we're done with it. Within weeks, the colors in the single use plastic packaging faded, ultimately settling in to pale cyans.
Then the plastic slowly began to break down under the constant barrage of UV light from the sun. This is the fate of all plastics. They break down, but not into their constituent parts. They become smaller and smaller pieces of plastic — microplastics — which then escape into our waterways, our air, and even into the food chain.
