| Emerging Artists Showcase: Burren College of Art |
 JD Whitman Plastic Magnitudes 
JD Whitman (artist) in collaboration with JRC researchers Dora Mehn, Jessica Ponti, Marisa Sarria Pereira De Passos & Andrea Valsesia. Plastic Magnitudes is a community-specific art installation illuminating research on plastic particulates and their potential threat to humans as they enter the food chain as microplastics and nanoplastics. Inspired by the flow of plastic particulates through water supply systems and the digestive tracts of mussels, the installation juxtaposes visual imagery from plastic particulate research laboratories with images of environmental plastics. The physical materials in the installation are constructed from the fusion of repurposed sheet plastic and marine plastic debris, collected during community clean-ups in County Clare and County Galway, Ireland. The plastic was fused by community members during numerous Art-Science workshops where participants talked through plastic pollution and policy, eco-anxiety, and solutions. A product of community engagement, Plastic Magnitudes offers a creative learning environment where viewers can positively experience, process, and discuss new perspectives on the puzzling life cycle of plastics. Plastic Magnitudes is the result of collaborative research between the artist JD Whitman and JRC researchers working on micro- and nanoplastics research for policy development. Commissioned by the Joint Research Center (JRC) with the generous support of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries & Directorate-General for Environment. |
