Micro vs Macro

At the Royal Hibernian Academy, a presentation on micro-plastics was produced designed to highlight the impact of everyday objects. In collaboration with Trinity College Research Labs, we captured a series of images from various samples using a combination of traditional and microscopic techniques.

Plastic is one of the most ubiquitous substances on earth, yet is nearly impossible to destroy. It is shredded into smaller pieces, known as microplastics. From microscopic assessment of samples collected from our ocean, it is evident the degradation of plastics has created trillions of shards of microplastics.

Visiting a local Bay, we collected a panoply of plastic materials which had ended up on the beach and in the water. We wanted to explore these materials on a deeper scale and understand the substance which is so evidently permeating our planet. Trinity’s Advanced Microscopy Laboratory permitted us to use its facilities to explore the microscopic structure of samples collected from our ocean.

Photography: Crónán Creagh

Mural: SUBSET