November 2015 – littoral: sci-art project

As the world leaders come together this week to address the crucial issues of how come to agreements to slow down and stop Global Warming caused by our ever increasing CO2 emissions and destruction of the forests, artists all over the world are making work and running events to draw attention to the issue.

My contribution is to visually summarise in a simple way the volumes of waste I have witnessed on the beaches around Scotland over the last 2 years and the wasted energy that represents. With the help of scientist John McIntyre who has generously shared with me his recent research into Plastic Data, I am quantifying the embodied energy that each cube represents as it sits on the beaches and is buried in landfill.

I have selected 5 common plastic beach litter items to stack and combine into measurable cubes so I can quantify the energy content of the discarded waste on beaches over the duration of the Climate Change Conference, both the images and calculations will be shared here on the blog and on Twitter @LittoralArt

#COPcube [1. Polypropylene]

Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 10 cm

Material : sections of prawn boxes corrugated plastic/twin wall plastic sheets. Produced from High-Impact Polypropylene PP Weight: 1280g Embodied energy content: 3.72 litres petrol or 122.1 MJ/Kg Location: Loch Broom, Ross-shire beaches

#COPcube [2. Polyethylene]

Dimensions:15 x 15 x 15 cm Material : strapping used to hold together fish/prawn/packaging boxes. Produced from Polyethylene terephthalate PET orPETE Weight: 220g Embodied energy content: 0.36 litres petrol or 11.81 MJ/Kg Location: collected Dun Canna beach, Ross-shire

#COPcube [3. High-density polyethelene ]

Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 20 cm Material : mussel pegs – used in aquaculture, cast plastic

Produced from High-density polyethelene HDPE Weight: 4196g Embodied energy content: 10.15 litres petrol or 334.29 MJ/Kg Location: collected Shetland beaches

#COPcube [4. Polypropylene]

COPcube 4 flattened

Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 7 cm Material : plastic tubes – sticks/shafts of ‘cotton bud’ products – domestic /cosmeti Produced from Polypropylene PP Weight: 138g Embodied energy content: 0.4 litres petrol or 13.17 MJ/Kg Location: collected Portobello & Crammond beaches, Firth of Forth

#COPcube [5. Polyethylene]

Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 5 cm Material : mixed micro fibres from ropes, strapping, plastic bags etc Commercial & domestic sources Produced from Polyethylene terephthalate PET orPETE Weight: 14g Embodied energy content: 0.022 litres petrol or 0.753 MJ/Kg Location: collected Badentarbet beach, Ross-shire

The embodied energy calculations include the energy used in the feed stock (raw material) used to manufacture the plastic, it also includes the energy used to manufacture and transport the finished plastic product.

The energy content data used is from the ICE database. Craig Jones at Bristol University created it. http://www.circularecology.com/embodied-energy-and-carbon-footprint-database.html#.VlyZtIX9M7A

A series of arts events are taking place all over the world, as part of the ArtCOP 2015. You can find out more at http://www.artcop21.com . The Scottish partner for this is Creative Carbon Scotland. Please follow and pass on the links and feel free to leave a comment

John McIntyre is trying to work out using the available data on resource abundance, population, agriculture and realistic engineering if it is possible for us to construct a sustainable civilization from the trap humanity has accidentally constructed following the century long unplanned transition from a feudal near medieval society to an age of great danger and wonder.

Spending much longed for time – concentrating on growing ideas for my Littoral Art Project exhibition in 2016 & 17. To do this I have become a happy inmate of studio 4 at An Talla Solias in Ullapool. My week’s residency has so far focused on beginning to story-boarding my animation idea which will be an integral piece of my exhibition . Its exciting to be venturing into an new medium which has intrigued and inspired me over the years.

With over arching thoughts writ large to keep me on track post-it notes multiplied daily and my narrative has begun to develop, re-positioning the notes aiding rethinking twists and turns of the plot.

Gradually ideas are being sketched out across the studio wall to try and envisage the 2 min film I’m aiming for. Thankfully I have many friends and colleagues here in Ullapool well versed in my journey and happy to listen to my latest sequence of thoughts. I also wonderfully have film and documentary maker Sara Nason to call on for mentoring advice , who reminds me of the importance of keeping emotion in the mix.

My aim is for sound to be central to the animation though crucially without dialogue, with this in mind I am about to re check my sound notes on each page before copying and posting to my film collaborator JJ Jaimieson in Shetland for his comments and input. My plan is to shoot the film on both Isle Martin (Summer Isle) here in Ross-shire and on Shetland in the spring. JJ Jaimieson will be generating the sound track and editing, this will take place at the Mareel, Shetland Arts Centre next summer. Shetland Arts have sponsored the studio and editing time for the film. Thank You.

Before leaving my wonderful ATS studio and heading back to Edinburgh I will be sorting through a bag of beach litter carefully selected to make a piece of work which connects this coastal WASTE issue to the bigger Climate Change issue. I will be showing the work here on the blog and on TWITTER #artsgogreen as part of the ArtCOP Scotland events responding to the important climate change negotiation (30 Nov-12 Dec). Other arts responses can be found at Cape Farewell with UN updated over view at COP21

Scotlands Climate March

Saturday 28th November 2015, gather at 12 noon on The Meadows, Edinburgh