Fantastic plastic
Drinks cabinet by Gerard Scanlan
We depend on plastic to smooth out all the wrinkles of our daily lives. Plastic has been woven into the fabric of our survival, from the iconic, symbol-of-modern-life and now-almost-taboo plastic carrier bag to intricate components in heart valves that save lives. Plastic is so fluid it can replace almost any rigid material but textiles too. 3D printers are best at printing plastic and although they can print other materials they have to be plasticised first. Perhaps this versatility and a seemingly never-ending supply is why we take it for granted.
Achilles heel
There is just so much plastic around us that we no longer see it as a material until we discard it or see it abandoned. It is a fantastic mass production substance, morphing its shape to suit our whims and the more it pleases us, the more quickly we lose interest. Is plastic destined to become as taboo as fur? Are we apathetic about synthetic because it is a prosthetic for something real? The warmth of wood, the coolness of metal, the sparkle of glass?