Event 2: The Mortal Plastik

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The second event I attended this quarter was a viewing and short presentation on the behind-the-scenes making of Jess Irish’s short documentary, This Mortal Plastik. Her self proclaimed “nontraditional documentary” is about 20 minutes long and features various artistic mediums in order to provide commentary on the ever-growing culture of single-use plastics and their detrimental effect to the environment. Irish included poems/quotes and eye-catching visual images, making the documentary both entertaining and impactful. 


Screenshot from event: drawing of plastic over animated hands

One of the quotes that really stuck with me was one by Annie Leonard, which goes “There is no such thing as ‘away.’ Just ‘elsewhere.’” This quote was shown simultaneously with visuals of landfills and oceans filled with plastic; it made me reevaluate my use of plastics and other wasteful material. I thought to myself, how many recyclable materials are actually recycled and not just transported elsewhere to exist in a heap of trash? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling and composting rates of municipal solid waste (including plastic) has decreased in recent years to ~32.1%. According to Irish, only 2% of plastics are fully recycled.


Screenshot from event: Annie Leonard quote

Another interesting topic that was touched upon in the documentary was microplastics. In the documentary, it’s mentioned that microplastics are now found everywhere–in the oceans, our stool, and even the rain. Recently, in March of this year, microplastics were found in human blood for the first time (Carrington). This is shockingly sad and scary. The study found these particles of plastic pollution in almost 80% of people tested. We aren’t the only species this is happening to: more than 240 wildlife species, including whales, have ingested plastic which has subsequently resulted in internal damage and death (Johnson). I would have loved to end this blog on a positive note, but the environmental reality we’re currently facing has no positive sides. Nonetheless, This Mortal Plastik was beautifully put together and incredibly sobering. 

 

Screenshot from event: Repetitious structure of Polyethylene

Screenshot of Registration Email:












References

Carrington, Damian. “Microplastics Found in Human Blood for First Time.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Mar. 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/24/microplastics-found-in-human-blood-for-first-time. 

Irish, Jess. “Why This Film - This Mortal Plastik.” This Mortal Plastik - a Film by Jess Irish, 2 Aug. 2021, http://thismortalplastik.com/how-i-got-here-why-this-film/. 

Johnson, Chris. “Whales and the Plastics Problem.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, 18 Feb. 2021, https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/whales-and-the-plastics-problem#:~:text=Every%20year%2C%20300%2C000%20whales%2C%20dolphins,the%20environment%20in%20the%20meantime. 

“National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 14 July 2021, https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#recycling.

Rogers, Tony. “Everything You Need to Know about Polyethylene (PE).” Everything You Need To Know About Polyethylene (PE), 14 Sept. 2015, https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polyethylene-pe-for-prototypes-3d-printing-and-cnc. 


Image References


Armstrong, Bill. “Repetitious structure of polyethylene.” This Mortal Plastik, 13 June 2021, http://thismortalplastik.com/


Irish, Jess. “Drawing of plastic over animated hands.” This Mortal Plastik, 13 June 2021, http://thismortalplastik.com/


Irish, Jess. “Quote by Annie Leonard.” This Mortal Plastik, 13 June 2021, http://thismortalplastik.com/

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