Critical drifters
Critical Drifters
Repurposed polyethylene tube, LED light, gels.
Puke Ariki Museum, New Plymouth, 2021
As part of a new Natural History Exhibition Reef Life at Puke Ariki Museum in New Plymouth, my work Critical Drifters explores Plankton; the diverse waterborne microorganisms, found locally and internationally.
The Installation is made up of a multitude of three dimensional linear impressions of Plankton from each taxa making up a cylindrical form, like a test sample, but arranged like a taxonomic drawing. These Sculptures are suspended around a central light tube that is coloured from warm to cool, symbolising a temperature gauge or litmus test and implies the environmental threats that affect Plankton.
Plastic (polyethylene) tube that was formerly used to test Taranaki waterways, was chosen as the Material for this project. I have given a second life to this product, preventing it from ending up in Landfill. Besides up-cycling, this material holds particular and relevant significance to the main ideas in this work. It’s previous use to monitor stream health, represents Kaitiakitanga, caring for our environment. In addition, given that plastic is a byproduct of the oil and gas industry that draws million year old compacted Plankton from the earth (in the way of oil), I am returning these molecules of Plastic into magnified interpretations of the forms they once inhabited.
I hope this work draws attention to the need to care and be responsible for our environment. By hopefully giving an insight into the interconnected, fragile and complex web of life that Plankton are, and how much they contribute to our planets’ larger ecosystems.
