Edited by Mateo Kries, Jochen Eisenbrand, Mea Hoffman. Coedited by Johanna Agerman Ross, Corinna Gardner, Charlotte Hale, Lauren Bassam, Anniina Koivu. Text by Susan Freinkel, Mark Miodownik, Nanjala Nyabola. Interviews with Jane Atfield, Dianna Cohen, Dave Hakkens, John McGeehan, Klarenbeek & Dros, The Shellworks, Peter Ghyczy.
The complex life of plastic, from global success story to ecological conundrum and beyond
Plastic has shaped our daily lives like no other material. Originally associated with convenience, progress and even revolution, today plastic seems to have lost its utopian appeal. Plastic is everywhere, yet most conspicuous as waste and as a key factor in the global environmental crisis. This book examines the success story of plastic in the 20th century and at the same time presents the different discourses on how we should manage the waste the material produces and also find solutions that take into account its entire life cycle in the future. Mark Miodownik, Susan Freinkel and Nanjala Nyabola each contribute an essay that sheds light on the history of plastics from 1850 to today. A material-rich visual chronology illustrates how consumers’ perception of plastics has changed over the decades; brief descriptions of a selection of 50 objects examine the importance of plastics for material culture; and reprints of fundamental texts about the history of plastics—for example, by Alexander Parkes and Roland Barthes—provide a context from the history of ideas. The book juxtaposes the current discourse and state of research on plastic with numerous individual interviews and panel discussions that were held with designers, representatives from industry, researchers and environmental activists. Underpinning these conversations are comprehensive data visualizations on plastic production, consumption and the spread of plastic around the world.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Plastic: Remaking Our World.'
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Thursday, May 12 from 6:30–8 PM, as part of NYCxDESIGN, New York's 1014 cultural space presents Jochen Eisenbrand, Chief Curator at the Vitra Design Museum, speaking on the current exhibition and forthcoming catalog, Plastic: Remaking Our World. After an introduction of the exhibition topics, Eisenbrand will discuss the rise and fall of a material that has been elemental to the design world and become a symbol of modernity as well as its shortcomings. Featuring Lola Ben-Alon, Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP, and designer Charlotte McCurdy. Please register here! continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 7.75 x 10.5 in. / 254 pgs / 250 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $85.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $114 ISBN: 9783945852477 PUBLISHER: Vitra Design Museum AVAILABLE: 6/7/2022 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Vitra Design Museum. Edited by Mateo Kries, Jochen Eisenbrand, Mea Hoffman. Coedited by Johanna Agerman Ross, Corinna Gardner, Charlotte Hale, Lauren Bassam, Anniina Koivu. Text by Susan Freinkel, Mark Miodownik, Nanjala Nyabola. Interviews with Jane Atfield, Dianna Cohen, Dave Hakkens, John McGeehan, Klarenbeek & Dros, The Shellworks, Peter Ghyczy.
The complex life of plastic, from global success story to ecological conundrum and beyond
Plastic has shaped our daily lives like no other material. Originally associated with convenience, progress and even revolution, today plastic seems to have lost its utopian appeal. Plastic is everywhere, yet most conspicuous as waste and as a key factor in the global environmental crisis.
This book examines the success story of plastic in the 20th century and at the same time presents the different discourses on how we should manage the waste the material produces and also find solutions that take into account its entire life cycle in the future. Mark Miodownik, Susan Freinkel and Nanjala Nyabola each contribute an essay that sheds light on the history of plastics from 1850 to today. A material-rich visual chronology illustrates how consumers’ perception of plastics has changed over the decades; brief descriptions of a selection of 50 objects examine the importance of plastics for material culture; and reprints of fundamental texts about the history of plastics—for example, by Alexander Parkes and Roland Barthes—provide a context from the history of ideas.
The book juxtaposes the current discourse and state of research on plastic with numerous individual interviews and panel discussions that were held with designers, representatives from industry, researchers and environmental activists. Underpinning these conversations are comprehensive data visualizations on plastic production, consumption and the spread of plastic around the world.
