INDEFINITE

Discarded debris found scattered along the shoreline, having existed for varying amounts of time in the sea, collectively conveys the story of a marine environment. This series estimates how long it takes for discarded plastic objects to degrade in the sea (based on information sources from 2010).

The objects shown are unwashed and unaltered, as found on the shore. Forms and shapes are reminiscent of sea creatures, but these are man-made from plastic, the very material that proves fatal to the animals and organisms themselves. As they gradually begin to break down, they are likely, ultimately, to be ingested as microplastic particles.

Since this series was created, research by polymer scientists state that unless burned, all of the conventional plastic ever produced is still with us on the planet, in a form too large to be biodegraded, and is merely fragmenting into ever smaller pieces. The captions in this series refer to estimates suggested by some, however, the actual rate of degradation will be heavily dependent on the surrounding environment and because of this I now regard the degradation of all of these materials as INDEFINITE.