When a new generation of designers take on the problem of waste in the ocean they consider the possibilities and materials of the future. With the exhibition Ocean Plastics the Röhsska Museum highlights various conceptual design projects where design can be seen as the solution, rather than the problem.
Marine littering is one of the major environmental issues of our time. Scientists have identified the problems caused by the pollution but they alone cannot solve them. This is where the field of design can contribute in a crucial way. Today, designers are becoming alchemists, scientists, activists and social entrepreneurs. Their involvement stems from interdisciplinary analysis, a collaborative spirit and a belief in design’s ability to contribute to the solution, rather than the problem.
The exhibition Ocean Plastics presents a selection of conceptual design projects which address plastic pollution by questioning our relationship to the sea, presenting strategies for cleaning up the oceans, recycling existing plastics and exploring the merits of bio-plastics.
The exhibition spans two floors and includes, among others, a whale tooth sculpture made from plastics collected from the ocean, single use containers made from algae, fossils of the future where the plastic waste has intermingled with natural sediments, and artefacts where residual materials from the Swedish plastic industry is given new life.
15 June 2018 – 5 January 2019
Exhibitors:
Adidas and Parley for the Ocean, Ramin Bahrani, Formfantasma, Ina Johansson Lidman and Dave Hakkens, Jessica den Hartog, Malmö Upcycling Service, Roos Meerman, Christian Meindertsma and Label/Breed, Ocean Clean-Up, Optimist for Havet, Aurore Piette, Snøhetta and NCP, Basse Stittgen, Studio Swine, Margarita Talep, Yesenia Thibault-Picazo, PrimaLoft, Houdini.
Curator: Johan Deurell
Exhibition design and graphic identity. Wang & Söderström.
Collaborators and sponsors: Chalmers University of Technology, The Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation, Kvadrat, Stena Recycling, Göteborgstryckeriet and Arctic Paper.
Selected press:
Dagens Nyheter, Jens Littorin, Design som tar problemet med plasten på allvar
Svenska Dagbladet, Erika Josefsson/TT, Design som kan hjälpa haven
It’s Nice That, Laura Snoad, Wang & Söderström on their watery identity and exhibition design for Ocean Plastics
Johan Deurell's website 
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