OUGD603 - Research Brief - Plastic Society

I am going to be looking into plastic for my research brief, as this is a topic which fascinates me on a daily basis. There are a number of things that interest me about plastic, the most prominent being its overwhelming presence in modern society. I find it pretty scary the extent to which has infiltrated pretty much every aspect of Wester society. When you actually take a moment to contemplate the levels to which plastic plays a part in our civilisation, it's simply overwhelming. 

An estimated 90% of all the products we interact with on a daily basis involve the use of one of the seven main types of plastic. We have become more or less dependent on this toxic material, we have entered the plastic age. In the past, human epochs have been defined by such resources as stone, bronze and so on, but there is no escaping the notion that we are a plastic society.

Many types of plastic are indeed recyclable, but the option of recycling doesn't seem to be putting off people producing more and more plastic. I am interested to find out whether or not recycling plastic is actually sustainable or environmentally friendly, or if it is just exacerbating the existing issue of our overdependence. 

I am also really keen to discover the extent of our waste and disposal of plastic on the natural environment and various ecosystems which exist on land and in the ocean.

The fact that the humble plastic bottle can take between 450 - 1000 years to 'decompose' startles me. In fact, plastic can never totally disappear. It breaks down to microscopic levels, but then the chemicals within these microscopic pieces become released into the environment, infiltrating the food chain, ultimately affecting human beings.

Plastic is pretty much indestructible and will certainly outlast the human race. This sense of eternity intrigues me. I plan on researching into other objects/cultural phenomenon which are linked to the theme of eternity. This may lead me down the route of religion, architecture, language, art and so on 

OUGD603 - Collaboration with L6 Photographer

Today I met with Ash Renshaw, a L6 photography student to discuss an editorial collaboration that he instigated. Ash approached me through Instagram and mentioned that he admired my style and work and asked about the possibility of me doing some editorial layout design for a publication that he is planning to use as his Final Major Project.

He described the publication as a fashion-focused piece which will aim to explore masculinity through photography and fashion. He has noticed that a lot of high fashion editorial pieces tend to use black and white photography, and he wanted this editorial to reflect and emulate a similar aesthetic.

He explained that he is completely open to a range of possible editorial treatments, so I basically have complete creative freedom with this project which I am excited about. He needs the editorials done by the 24th of April at the latest which is good as it will prompt me to work as efficiently as possible.

OUGD603 - Collaboration - Tree House - Contextual Research

This short documentary: '101 East - The Orangutan Whisperer' has been incredibly useful in regards to my collaborative brief in providing me with contemporary information, opinions and facts about the threats that face Orangutans in Indonesia.

Before starting the research for this brief, I thought that I knew a fair amount about the species, their environment and the range of human imposed threats they faced. It turns out that I didn't know much at all, as this video opened my eyes to the extent that humans are impacting their habitat and livelihoods. I come away from this video with a more informed stance on the issues that myself and Charlotte are attempting to articulate and tackle in our children's publication.