Plastic (Idea) 2/3

Chris Jordan Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds.


Defined

plastic [ˈplæstɪk ˈplɑːs-]

n

1. (Chemistry) any one of a large number of synthetic usually organic materials that have a polymeric structure and can be moulded when soft and then set, esp such a material in a finished state containing plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, pigments, etc. Plastics are classified as thermosetting (such as Bakelite) or thermoplastic (such as PVC) and are used in the manufacture of many articles and in coatings, artificial fibres, etc. Compare resin [2]

2. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) short for plastic money

adj

1. made of plastic

2. easily influenced; impressionable the plastic minds of children

3. capable of being moulded or formed

4. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) Fine arts

a. of or relating to moulding or modelling the plastic arts

b. produced or apparently produced by moulding the plastic draperies of Giotto's figures

5. having the power to form or influence the plastic forces of the imagination

6. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology of or relating to any formative process; able to change, develop, or grow plastic tissues

7. (Medicine / Surgery) of or relating to plastic surgery

8. Slang superficially attractive yet unoriginal or artificial plastic food

[from Latin plasticus relating to moulding, from Greek plastikos, from plassein to form]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Quotations

" For a moment I fancied myself a new man--a most exciting illusion. It clung to me for some time, monstrous, half conviction and half hope as to its body, with an iridescent tail of dreams and with a changeable head like a plastic mask. It was only later that I perceived that in common with the rest of men nothing could deliver me from my fatal consistency. We cannot escape from ourselves."

"Joseph Conrad: Tales of Unrest: Author's Note - Free Online Library." Joseph Conrad - Free Online Library. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .

"They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute."

"Oscar Wilde: The Picture Of Dorian Gray: CHAPTER 2 - Free Online Library." Oscar Wilde - Free Online Library. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .

Annotated Bibliography

"Long Live Plastics: with Plastics in Museums Decomposing, a New Effort Seeks to Halt the Demise of Materials Commonly Thought to Be Unalterable. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .

This article discusses the degradation of plastic polymers being witnessed in museums. Common thinking tends to suggest plastic materials, being so easily molded and tough, will last for too long on this planet, which is probably true. However, the signs of this material starting to falter in museums seems shocking. The plastics on display at museums will have to be individually analyzed and preserved in order to ensure they will be on view for future generations. This makes me question the existing preservation in museums, which often seems so impermeable and permanent. May it be true that nothing is truly permanent?

Relates

This idea relates to my work because a large theme is plastic/preservative materials. This concept has many different links to the work. For example, the plastic materials comment of food preservation and non-acceptance of "spoil" in food as well as human life. They also comment of storage of once-living objects and desperate attempts to convince them to resist decomposition. The same question of permanence spoken about earlier is a very importance issue in my work.