A designer table made from ocean plastic pollution is one of the key features of a design event running in London this month.
Designer Brodie Neill has made the work ‘Gyro' as part of his presentation ‘Plastic Effects' at the inaugural London Design Biennale which runs until 27 September at Somerset House.
Neill's installation has looked at the theme of an environmental dystopia “where material and societal practices inherited from industrialisation are now remaking the world”.
The artist is representing Australia, which is among 38 countries from six continents presenting newly-commissioned works at the event.
Born and raised in Tasmania, Neill collaborated with an international network of scientists, researchers, environmental experts, beachcombers, engineers, artisans and manufacturers to collect and reconstitute small fragments of plastic washed up on the shores of Tasmania and around the globe.
Gyro takes its name from ‘gyre', which refers to the network of currents that circulate ocean water around the world.
Neill said: “If Utopia, according to Thomas More, is an imaginary floating island in the ocean where every aspect of life is perfect, then we can argue that the reality we face today of living in a toxic plastic soup is by extension dystopia.
“The problem of ocean plastic waste is not unique to Australia; this is a global issue, which has been accelerating over the past 50 years.
“The environmental and economic consequences are evident. Collectively, we share responsibility and it's time to rethink our relationships to plastic, the environment and waste.”