A sculpture outside London’s National Theater highlights the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans

The work of the renowned marine sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor is called ‘Plasticide’

The work of the renowned marine sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor is called ‘Plasticide’

In late March, an artwork of marine sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor focusing on plastic pollution was exhibited for two weeks outside the National Theater in London. The sculpture, which has been produced in collaboration with Greenpeace, features a family of four enjoying a beach picnic, surrounded by a flock of seagulls vomiting plastic. These plastics were recovered from the area around the Spanish island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, where the artist recently opened Europe’s first underwater museum. Made with pH-neutral concrete and weighing two and a half tonnes, ‘Plasticide’ reminds us of the important issue of plastic pollution in the oceans. Actually, a recent study estimates that nearly 90% of all living marine birds have eaten some type of plastic.

“Through my work I’ve seen first-hand the deluge of plastic on our coastlines and swirling around our seas. The build-up of a man-made material like plastic in the vast expanse of our seemly untouched oceans is a visceral reminder of humankind’s devastating impact on our environment. Through ‘Plasticide’ I want to bring this message back to home: our oceans, and the marine life which inhabits them, literally can’t stomach any more plastic”, says the artist Jason deCaires Taylor.

“An estimated 12 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year. Some of that is microplastics from cosmetics and personal-care products, but the vast majority is so-called macroplastics, the big stuff like plastic bottles, packaging, and bags. A “good start” would be manufacturers drastically reducing the production of single-use plastic bottles. We hope that people see ’Plasticide’ as a call to arms that unless we act fast, the impact on marine life could be irreparable”, says Luke Massey, Press & Communications Officer at Greenpeace UK.

Photos: Greenpeace

Source: Greenpeace