Installation, Papercraft, Video Synthesis.
“Hyper particles” is an Installation developed due to concerns with bioaccumulation and biomagnification, the processes in which toxins amass within living organisms and eventually cycled into the food chain. Placed within a gallery space are fluorescent and geometric paper sculptures illuminated with black light. Behind them is a live projection of the same space continuously morphing in a kaleidoscopic manner. Individuals who enter the room can see their reflection being constantly twisted and combined with the colours of the paper sculptures.
The sculptures themselves were unfortunately inspired by the shapes of microplastics often having a geometric appearance. I chose to illuminate them using black light (UV-A light) to reference the main way of how plastic polymers degrade due to UV radiation (Yousif and Hadad). Individuals who enter the room can see their reflection being constantly twisted and combined with the colors of the paper sculptures. It allows the viewer a way to visualizes the toxins entering their bodies through the consumption of contaminated food and sometimes cosmetics.
The issue is important for me to discuss since before moving to Canada, I've originated from the Philippines which is constantly suffering from pollution due to overproduction of single-use plastics. And on top of this, my home country was lacking in infrastructure for solid waste management majority of waste ends up in landfills that will eventually leak into ground water. In a recent article by Rebecca Ratcliffe from The Guardian, the coastline of Manila Bay is constantly being choked by plastic waste and eco sanctuaries around the bay are severely affected by the pollution Environmentalist fear the plastics harming organisms inhabiting the sanctuary could act as a vector for the spread of disease. I haven't been home in a decade but still remember how black some of our waterways were from the pollution. When you expect to see water lilies or reeds on the banks of the rivers, you instead find numerous bottles and plastic bags floating on the surface.
Hyper Particles was installed in the "Space in Between" gallery located in Calgary Alberta.
Live video synthesis was programmed using HYDRA, a browser based API created for visual development by Olivia Jack.
Sources:
Ratcliffe, Rebecca. "Photos show Manila Bay mangroves ‘choking’ in plastic pollution." The Guardian. 5 Oct 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2021/oct/05/photos-show-manila-bay-mangroves-choking-in-plastic-pollution accessed Mar 2022
Yousif, Emad, and Raghad Haddad. “Photodegradation and photostabilization of polymers, especially polystyrene: review.” SpringerPlus vol. 2 398. 23 Aug. 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320144/ accessed Mar 2022.