Sea of Plastic Debris (Rory Baker, English 101, Garrett, 12-02-2015)

Sea of Plastic Debris

I participated in the Heal the Bay beach clean up and used the trash I picked up to create an art project about plastic pollution. I painted a view from the ocean looking at a city, as if the audience is on a boat look back at land, and I incorporated blue or green trash that I found and glued it to the ocean. I then glued sand on the shore, and cigarettes as a cityscape in the background. Most of the trash in the piece's ocean is plastic as a representation of the amount of plastic trash floating around in our oceans.

When people see my piece, I want them to reflect on the amount that they litter. The beach is a place full of nature that should not be filled with dirty and toxic items. If people don't stop littering, marine pollution will only get worse, especially with rising populations. I don't want the audience to feel guilty by looking at my piece, but I want them to feel the need to improve. I want my artwork to be a message to the audience pleading them to stop polluting our oceans. No matter who sees this, there is time to change and help our environment.

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a huge problem. It hurts so many animals in the ocean--animals of all kinds. Many birds and marine animals mistake colorful pieces for food and end up with plastic poisoning. It does not matter how much the audience cares about the ocean and its inhabitants (although they really should), they should know how it affects them too. When humans consume the sea animals that have already consumed plastic, the person is consuming that plastic as well. Plastic is non-biodegradable, which means that it is impossible to naturally break down. That means it will not disappear if a human eats it, it will stay within them and could have severe effects.

My art project is a reminder to those who see it not to litter. Whether or not they are near the beach, littering is a problem. It always ends up back in the nearest body of water, which leads into other waterways and eventually all over the world. Plastic pollution (and pollution in general) is a huge problem, and I want my art project to spark change within those who see it to stop littering and take action to stop any more plastic from entering the ocean.