ERICA RASMUSSEN

Chris Holm was inspired to paint Plastic Permit because as a fly fisherman, he has encountered and picked up plastic pollution all over the world. The dismay he feels about the issue led him to paint this image (Plastic Pollution Coalition, 2019). The image is poignant in its simplicity and beauty. It depicts the ocean as warm and sunlit, the fish as innocent and carefree. However the shock of the bag over the fish’s head that creates anonymity and a sense of doom arouses immense sadness in the viewer. The word THANKYOU on the bag is ironic and reminds the viewer that the simple act of shopping can result in this horror. Accepting a single-use plastic bag is not something anyone should be thankful for, instead it is a thoughtless act. This painting asks the viewer to question their habits, drawing attention to the wider issue of single-use plastics entering the waterways. I chose this work by Holm because of the striking message. The detail and beauty of the oil on canvas is horrifically juxtaposed with the bag over the fish’s head. Holm’s capacity to elicit real emotion and the symbolism of his simple, uncluttered image sparks conversation about plastics in the ocean, an issue important to him.

Benjamin Von Wang
#TurnOff ThePlasticTap
Photography (Sony A7r-IV with a 16-35mm f2.8)
2021

Link to artwork

Benjamin Von Wang builds art that “translates facts into feelings” (Von Wong, n.d.). In his artwork #TurnOff ThePlasticTap, Von Wang built a giant faucet from recycled ventilation ducts attached to a forklift. The plastic items were tied together with rope made from plastic. The people in the image are desperately trying to catch the deluge of plastic but the amount of recycling is insurmountable and they are too small to solve the problem on their own. The plastic is pouring out and we cannot stop it. Von Wang is drawing attention to the quantity of plastic manufacturing and that as individuals there is a limit to what we can do, instead the responsibility rests with the manufacturing companies. Von Wang is drawing attention to plastic waste in a very dramatic way through the arts. #TurnOff ThePlasticTap took hours and many volunteers to tie the plastics together and an engineering feat to create the faucet on a forklift. He has chosen to name the work using the hashtag #turnofftheplastictap so that the cause can be spread on social media. He also documented the process and released an engaging video that features his family and the many volunteers that helped him create the installation and photos (Von Wong, 2021).

Erica Rasmussen
The Plastic Wave (Appendix 1)
Graphite on paper, mixed media, paper collage

Process
I walked around my house and garden and photographed objects that were made out of plastic. I noted that the most plastic items were in the bathroom (toothpaste, shampoo etc) and outside (plastic chairs, kids toys).
I printed the photos and cut them out.
I copied a wave drawing (see Appendix 1) and sketched it on A4 paper.
I transferred my wave drawing onto A3 paper.
I sorted my cut-out photos into colours – red, orange, green, blue, white and black – and arranged them on the wave in that order.
I photographed my final artwork.

Rationale
I have chosen to create this artwork as it makes a direct connection between my own household plastic items and the ocean. The wave picture also reminds me of the iconic The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai. The juxtaposition of plastics stuck in a wave – something so mighty, powerful and beautiful – acts as a reminder that we must look after our oceans. The ocean may seem formidable and constant but it is vulnerable to the carelessness and small-mindedness of humankind. A striking wave choked with heavy plastic material desperately trying to maintain its rhythm is thought-provoking, an image that I hope will remind the viewer of the devastation we are causing with plastics in the ocean. I chose to arrange the pictures in colour groups in a semi-rainbow pattern so the eye moved in the direction of the wave, highlighting the wave’s desperate attempt to keep moving.

Drawing on the inquiry questions and art explorations on the topic of plastics in the ocean, I have developed a set of activities for Level 5/6. It will combine research, group discussion, art exploration and active steps students can take to have an impact on environmental issues that affect their future.

Introduction

The inquiry topic is introduced with explainer videos, “Ocean Pollution for Kids” (Twinkl USA, 2024) and “Plastic Oceans” (ABC Science, 2012) and followed by group discussion.

Question 3

How does plastic end up in the ocean?

Students watch the video “Fight Plastic Pollution” (WWF UK, 2019) and view an explainer by World Wildlife Foundation (2020) and discuss the contents. Students research how litter travels to the ocean and create a map to represent their findings. This links to Geography in the Humanities curriculum (VC2HG6S03). Students research young people their own age making a difference in the area of plastics in the ocean, for example the Kids Against Plastic sisters (Kids Against Plastic, 2024), and design their own campaign to educate people about the effects of littering. This could include flyers, posters and presenting to classmates or school assembly. This links to Geography in the Humanities curriculum where students propose actions or responses to issues or challenges that are significant to the group (VC2HG6S06).

Question 1

What is marine life? Why do we need to protect it?

Students answer these questions through their own research. Students choose an area that interests them, for example a marine animal or the importance of clean water to the marine ecosystem. As further stimulus or support for these questions, students visit the Melbourne Aquarium or participate in the Microplastics Litter Audit at Port Phillip EcoCentre (Port Phillip EcoCentre, n.d.). If excursions are not possible, students watch a live underwater ocean camera and take note of the marine life (Explore.org, 2026). This inquiry area links to sustainability cross-curriculum interrelationship of systems (VC2CCPSIS1). Further activities include creating a poster about the harms of plastic on marine life or a mixed-media collage mural that includes a painted coral background, hand-drawn or 3D marine creatures and pieces of plastic to show the effect of plastics on marine life. This links to Creating in the Arts curriculum (VC2AVA6C01).

Question 2

What is plastic? What is it used for?

Students are asked to explore the history of plastic manufacturing to understand how plastic has become prominent in everyday life. They can answer the questions – how plastic has replaced other products, what are advantages/disadvantages of plastic, what other materials could we use instead of plastic and are there any government regulations on plastic manufacturing. Students could create a timeline showing history of plastic manufacturing and create their own responsibly designed product considering impact on the environment. These activities link to History in the Humanities curriculum (VC2HH6S01) and Responsible Design in Sustainability (VC2CCPSRD1).

Question 4

What can you do to help reduce plastic in the ocean?

Students view art by Benjamin Von Wang and Chris Holm and explore ways that visual conventions, visual art process and materials are used to communicate ideas, in this case the issue of plastics in the ocean. Students discuss how Von Wang and Holm use visual arts to express their own views to raise awareness of the problem (VC2AVA6E01). Students develop their research inquiry from Question 1 and present their discoveries in a poster, video or whole school sustainability project.

Links to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

This is a cross-curriculum priority and provides opportunities for students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Wooltorton et al (2020, p.917) write that in Australia every landscape is Indigenous and storied. We all have a right to enjoy it and have the responsibility to care for it. Students gain appreciation for the need to keep beaches clean through learning about Indigenous coastal plants (Port Phillip EcoCentre, n.d.) and how they are used by Indigenous people for food, medicine, building material, clothing and ceremonial purposes (Coastcare Victoria & Ocean Imaging, n.d.). This links to Country and Place in cross-curriculum priorities (VC2CCPACP1) as well as Geography (VC2HG6K01). Students learn that by protecting our oceans we are also preserving Indigenous culture and allowing First Nations people to maintain their connection to Country and Place.