Image 1: A plastic bottle on the shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Source: Isaac Carroo, 2017.

Upcycle: Short film by Isaac Carroo and Miranda Morris

Click here to watch Upcycle

Abstract

Upcycle is a short film about contemporary ideas of waste. Many items today are created to be thrown away, such as single-use bottles, straws, and utensils. These items are generally not recycled or reused in any way, and quickly end up in landfills with no further purpose. Modern processes of construction, manufacturing, and food production also create waste in a way that is seen as inherent and inevitable.

This conception of waste, though taken for granted in our society, is a foreign concept to the ways that matter naturally cycles through the earth. Though organisms create “waste” in nature, what they create is repurposed through other organisms or the earth’s natural cycles. Nature’s supply chain is circular, but ours is linear. This is especially apparent with plastic waste, which doesn’t biodegrade and is found accumulating in more environments every day.

One way that we have begun to question our material use habits is through art. Many  artists use repurposed and forgotten items to create their works because of their availability and affordability. These pieces, along with demonstrating beauty and talent, cause us to question our relationship to waste.

Image 2: “Invisible Plastic Apocalypse”, an art project made from all reused or found objects. Source: Isaac Carroo, 2019.

Image 3: A discarded plastic bottle on a hiking trail in Austin, Texas. Credit: Isaac Carroo, 2019.

Image 4: Abandoned fuel tanks in Kanton, Republic of Kiribati. This low-lying atoll in the Pacific Islands used to be a fueling stop for Pan-Am airlines, before trans-pacific flights were able to traverse the ocean in one go. Source: Isaac Carroo

Image 5: The shipwreck of the USS President Taylor in Kanton, Republic of Kiribati. Credit: Isaac Carroo