Referencing the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, Gyre is a set of modular, interlocking origami pieces folded from single-use plastic food wrappers. Together they form a möbius strip, a mathematical shape that appears to have two sides, but in fact has only one. If you trace your finger along the outside of the piece, you'll soon track the entire length, ultimately coming back to the spot you started. This maddening cycle is akin to how I feel about our relationship with plastic. It is at once a material that makes modern life comfortable, convenient, and possible, yet it has dizzyingly far-reaching & problematic environmental costs after we are done with it. Yet we keep pumping out more and more every year - to the tune of 391 million metric tons in 2021. Interestingly, only 14% of the plastic used to construct this piece is visible in the final build.The rest, like an iceberg, lies hidden within, symbolizing how much plastic goes unnoticed in our society.
- Subject Matter: Abstract