A new exhibition at the V&A Dundee explores the relationship bet

A new exhibition at the V&A Dundee explores our relationship between plastic and nature

and the nature of the plastics we consume in our everyday lives.

The exhibition, titled Plastic: Remaking Our World, opened at Kengo Kuma-designed

V&A Dundee Museum in Scotland and will be on display until February 5, 2023.

The exhibition examines the history and future of this controversial material – from its early inception

when it was intended as a sustainable alternative to natural resources,

to its rapid rise in the 20th century.

This is the first exhibition that V&A Dundee has co-curated with partners,

Germany’s Vitra Design Museum, MAAT Lisbon and V&A South Kensington.

Where plastic has shaped our daily lives like no other material: from packaging materials to shoes,

From household goods to furniture, from cars to architecture.

Today, the tragic consequences of the plastic boom are evident,

and plastic has lost its ideal appeal.

Nowhere was it more important to understand the 150-year history of this disputed substance than that.

What is known is necessary but not essential, life-saving and life-threatening but dangerous.

The exhibition is divided into three sections: Synthetica,

Petromodernity and Plasticene. Besides plastic materials and objects,

Visitors encounter colorful installations, videos,

photos and videos to better understand the nature of plastic.

The stunning title Plastic: Reshaping Our World,

The first opportunity to stop and think about the nature of the plastic we consume,

where it comes from, and where it ends up.

All the plastics in this colorful installation have been sourced locally and prepared by V&A Dundee and ScrapAntics.

Entering the exhibition, visitors learn about the relationship between plastic and nature as they enter KALPA,

It is an immersive large-scale video installation by Asif Khan Studio.

And while it took about 2 billion years for fossil fuels to form,

plastics have caused irreversible damage in a fraction of the time.”

The first section, titled Synthetica, investigates the emergence of natural plastics derived from plants and animals.

Industrialization and rising incomes in the late nineteenth century increased the demand for natural plastics and sparked interest in new materials,

leading to an abundance of experimentation and innovation in materials.

Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, in 1907.

Its insulating and non-conductive properties made it ideal for light switches,

wall sockets or radios and it played a major role in the electricity supply of everyday life.

A new exhibition at the V&A Dundee explores the relationship between plastic and nature