PLASTIC ZEN 2023
The PLASTC ZEN project is made entirely from recycled materials, i.e. plastics, synthetic fibers, old nylon jackets, exercise mats, plastic bags, rubber gloves from which I created an insect-hybrid sitting in the lotus position filled with cyclically inflated air, which gives the effect of deep breathing.
Currently, the mass of plastic in the world exceeds the biomass of all plants. Microplastics can be found in the air, soil, food, and even in human blood and newborn babies. Plastic waste is a geological indicator of the Anthropocene. Plastosis is a newly discovered disease caused by pieces of microplastic. It has been found in birds. However, scientists point out that, given the scale of plastic pollution, it can be assumed that other species may also suffer from this disease.
The environment is reacting to the pressure of plastic and trying to restore the ecosystem. An insect that “eats plastic” was recently discovered. It was found in one of Japan’s landfill sites in 2018. Perhaps in the process of evolution, we will create enzymes in insects that will allow us to survive.

*Zen, a branch of Buddhism from China, from where it spread to Japan and Korea, among others, the third largest consumer of plastic in the world.