Hidden Danger

My art piece conveys my thought on why people litter. I developed this concept that people litter because they do not view waste as a dangerous threat, when they look at trash on the street they think it's harmless. However what they do not realize is that the trash left on the ground kills many organisms. To portray this in my art project I built a structure with trash that does not look like anything unless a light is flashed upon it. This causes the pieces of trash to cast a shadow of a skull. The shadow of a skull represents the hidden danger within plastic waste and the inevitable loss of life. The light used represents education that helps people see trash for what it is. Plastic waste affects many organisms, especially when it reaches the coast, the waste interacts with multiple ecosystems and kills many animals in the process causing the endangerment of various species. Plastic waste not only releases toxins during production which affects our atmosphere, it is ingested by many animals that confuse it for food which ultimately leads to death. Education is the only way to reduce littering and help people understand the danger behind plastic.