Our World of Plastic – Aino Favén – Ritva Kokkola-Lemarchand – Ervi Sirén

The works, objects and dances of the exhibition form a spatial entity that contemplates the love-hate relationship with plastic, this harmful and useful man-made material.

Plastic is one of the most revolutionary inventions of the 20th century. In the early days, people thought plastic was capable of everything, leading it to replace a large number of traditional materials. Plastic is attractive, magical and flexible. Since then, between 1950 and 2015, humanity has produced 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic, of which about 80% has ended up in landfills and the oceans. Plastic decomposes very slowly in nature and breaks down into small particles, microplastics. Microplastics enter organisms through the food chain and can end up in human bodies as well.

Textile and visual artist Aino Favén, architect and visual artist Ritva Kokkola-Lemarchand and dance artist-choreographer Ervi Sirén explore our world of plastic.

In her jewellery and spatial works, Aino Favén works with familiar and everyday materials: plastic bags and packaging. The rubbish becomes a silky smooth and dreamy vanity. Plastic is reborn as a bird for a while. All the while, reminding us of the fellow species that die from the plastic waste they eat in the world's oceans. In the ocean, plastic is a significant threat. Plastic waste is estimated to kill hundreds of thousands of marine mammals every year.

A translucent plastic bag floating freely in water vibrates with light and colour and is easily mistaken as a jellyfish. This beauty attracts... Ritva Kokkola draws inspiration for her paintings from photographs with plastics floating in the sea among marine organisms as part of the sea's flora and fauna.

Dance artist Ervi Sirén has created an exhibition choreography with a plastic theme, which she will perform in the gallery as part of the exhibition. Sirén's dance performances:
Sat 12 October at 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm
Sat 26 October at 2 pm and 3 pm