Name: Dillon DalalSurana

Social Justice Group: 2022-2023, Environment: Microplastics

Date of Fieldwork: February 17, 2023

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Brooklyn Museum

Type of Fieldwork: Museum Exibit

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:

‘Death to the Living: Long Live Trash,’ is an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum organized and created by Duke Riley, a Brooklyn-based artist who uses pieces of plastic found at sea and on beaches. His art includes his own twist of scrimshaw, a craft done by whalers carving on whale bones and making fishing lures from many everyday plastic objects from tooth brushes to utensils to mini bubble wands and many more items. He also made wall hangings out of plastic utensils, bread bag holders, bottle caps, small bags, lighters, plastic tampon applicators, and straws, mixed in with beads, sea shells, cigarette buds and more trash to make beautiful murals. While I call them beautiful, they are also very sad to look at because of all of the plastic that was found on beaches.

This exhibit makes me wonder if I could have indirectly contributed to these murals because of my plastic usage. It made me reflect on all the plastic I use and how simple changes can help me contribute to the solution. I encourage people to go see the exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum by April 3, 2023. Also, I encourage people to think about some ways that what they do with their waste effects items way beyond what we might see or know.