Mya Tipene

Plastic has long been a dangerous material to our environment. If not binned, it ends up floating into oceans and rivers, leading to destructive consequences. Water pollution is often caused by sea warming, and ocean acidification from chemical leaks. The rubbish and recycled materials that find their way into our waters can destroy habitats, lives, and negatively impact on human consumption and essential use of water.

In my dioramic, interactive sensory sculptural installation, 'Beautiful Mess of Marine Destruction', you will experience two large-sized sculptural environments: river and beach – in a world where naturally-grown floras are turned into plastics and cardboard. These figurative, surrealistic plants from chosen materials symbolise the relationship between the recycling process, and a plant or animal’s circle of life – speaking to the birth and destruction of nature due to plastic domination. Viewers are encouraged to use their senses of smell and touch with the work, to really understand how important it is to keep our marine environments clear of rubbish.