Mnemba Nurdles at the Bay Model

We went to Mnemba Island, off the north-eastern tip of Zanzibar in the azure Indian Ocean, for a vacation from detritus. We wanted to enjoy being at the beach without the obsession of picking things up. But, even on this remote island, to our great dismay, we found plastic trash and bright cobalt blue nurdles. Our first morning out we gathered enough to send to Dr. Hideshige for sample analysis.
International Pellet Watch

In Africa, single use single use plastic water bottles are the primary way that potable water is served. The caps of the water bottles are bright cobalt blue and the bottles are extruded translucent blue.

And, they are everywhere.

Back in our studio, we arranged the nurdles on Mnemba sand. The nurdle photographs were accomplished at Electric Works, San Francisco using a Phase One 4X5 digital camera, printed with archival pigment inks on Moab Entrada paper then face mounted on acrylic.

The nurdle prints are now on display in KNOWN QUANTITY our show at the Bay Model in San Francisco until June 21. There is will be no reception but there are many hours when the model and our exhibition is open. How to get there:

http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/bmvc/bmjourney/community/directions.html

Rising Tide at Stanford University

In order to demonstrate the ubiquity of plastic waste in our oceans, we have categorized our collection of plastic by type.

Beauty First has become our creed. By exciting the aesthetic sensibility, we hope to rouse a call to action.