Live RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2017
Presenting paper at Royal Geography Society IBG, Annual International Conference, 2017, London
Wednesday 30 August 2017, Session 1 (09:00 – 10:40)
2017 conference theme ‘decolonising geographical knowledges’.
Session chaired Les Levidow (The Open University, UK)
Session 1 ‘Treating waste as a resource
Abstract:
KraalD: plastic re-use strategy
Katarina Dimitrijevic (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)
We live in a plastic debris era. Anthropogenic litter is present in all marine habitats, from the coast to the most remote points in the oceans. Unmanaged, discarded globally, eight million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year (Jambeck et al., 2010). This already outdated statistic on the rise, accumulates the same amount of plastic, that the entire world produced in 1961. Without waste management infrastructure improvements, the cumulative quantity of plastic waste available to enter the ocean from land is predicted to increase by an order of magnitude by 2025 (Jambeck et al., 2015). KraalD is a design praxis, embedded in a social narrative which strives to journey beyond the product design vocabulary, exploding the design advocacy framework within socio-cultural, environmental and critical discard topics. The praxis argues that a “changing relation to disposal is a changing relation to oneself.” (Hawkins, 2006) Taking on climate change through our everyday plastic litter. Thus, praxis aim is to promote the minimization of future urban landfill, nurturing a socially relational and eco-centric attitude. This paper suggests to examine self-led, design case study i.e. KraalD and visually narrate plastic re-use strategy in order to change value for the plastic waste. How can we individually transgress the surplus-driven consumer culture? Perhaps in taking on the seemingly valueless discarded plastic. In transposing plastic things into plastic soup, 3D Gyra installations and re-used products. We can reveal how disposed plastic materiality can contain a dimension for new spaces of possibility, creating new values and even hope for a global 21st century depollution.
KraalD 