Life in Plastic: Artistic Responses to Petromodernity

Life in Plastic is a collection of essays that explores artistic responses to the plastic age, focusing mainly on post-1960s North America. It examines how plastic has affected human sensibilities and expression, revealing the place of plastic in reshaping how we perceive, relate to, represent, and re-imagine bodies, senses, environment, scale, mortality, and collective well-being. The contributors think through plastic with an eye to imagining our way out of plastic and moving toward a postplastic future.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 304 pages
\n Publication date: 14 December 2021
\n Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
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Since the 1960s, plastics have played a significant role in shaping modern life, presenting themselves as a utopian solution with remarkable qualities such as innovation, affordability, malleability, durability, and convenience. However, the widespread use of plastics has led to devastating environmental consequences. Plastic waste accumulates in landfills, pollutes oceans, and contributes to climate change and cancer clusters. These materials, derived from petrochemicals, are deeply intertwined with the global oil economy, permeating various aspects of our consumer goods, packaging, clothing, buildings, bodies, and minds. Plastic reshapes our cultural and social imaginaries, influencing how we perceive, relate to, represent, and reimagine bodies, senses, environments, scales, mortality, and collective well-being.

In the collection titled "Life in Plastic," a diverse group of scholars and artists explore the artistic responses to the plastic age. With a primary focus on post-1960s North America, the essays span a wide range of genres, including graphic novels, superhero comics, utopian and dystopian science fiction, poetry, and satirical prose. The collection also includes vinyl records and visual arts, providing a comprehensive examination of the artistic expressions that have emerged in response to the pervasive presence of plastic.

The contributors to "Life in Plastic" engage in a profound exploration of the ways in which plastic has impacted human sensibilities and expression. They analyze how plastic as a material and concept has shaped our perceptions, relationships, representations, and reimaginings of bodies, senses, environments, scales, mortality, and collective well-being. Through their insightful essays, the contributors shed light on the complex ways in which plastic has permeated our lives and challenged us to envision a future beyond plastic.

Ultimately, the goal of this collection is to inspire and facilitate a shift towards a postplastic future. The contributors offer thoughtful insights and innovative ideas that can help us navigate the challenges posed by plastic and work towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible world. By examining the arts and literature of the plastic age, "Life in Plastic" provides a valuable contribution to the environmental humanities, offering a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between humans and plastic and inspiring us to take action toward a more promising future.

\n Weight: 304g\n
Dimension: 210 x 138 x 25 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781517909888\n \n