Gelatine, Glycerine

De Plasticene

De Plasticene is a series of projects which explore and contemplate our relationship with plastics and the future of plastic materials, by using biomaterials, in particular renewable/biodegradable plastics (bioplastics) and kombucha leather in installations and performances. We constantly interact with plastic materials, for example, our phones, clothes, water bottles etc. and this project makes these interactions visible. Backed by deep research, it explores plastics and their waste culturally, linguistically, and scientifically. We are often separated from plastics creation and waste processes, which means we struggle to control or decide the future of these materials. To effectively deal with plastic waste we must first understand how plastic materials act, what they are made of, how they behave, and what exactly we are using them for and why.

The original definition of ‘plastic’ is ‘to mould’, which means to change, to sculpt: a process. Muireann's work reflects this in that she creates spaces where bioplastics are created in real-time, moulded, shaped and destroyed in front of an audience. This brings audiences closer to the processes of plastic creation, in contrast to the plastics industry, which everyday people are separated from. Our plastic waste is often sent to other countries, where it destroys environments and pollutes land, yet the increasing amount of plastics in our society and environments is out of our control. Muireann puts the tools of plastic creation back into the hands of everyday people and introduces them to biomaterials while encouraging them to consider the future they want for these materials. While approaching these topics she brings in elements of drag, queer theory, feminist approaches and participatory art, through an environmental and theatrical lens.
In her performances, she lives in a plastic world. Everything is made of biomaterials, which she also creates live on stage. These materials are also melted, worn, and consumed, until the stage becomes a plastic soup. This reflects the entanglements we already experience with synthetic plastic materials and their waste. Although these entanglements are not visible, they happen every day. Chemicals leached from synthetic plastics are altering our bodies. We cannot see microplastics, yet we consume them and breathe them in. Muireanns work makes these interactions visible and asks if we are living in a plastic world, then why not attempt to shape this plastic world? Where can this entanglement take us? This project also relates the moulding and changing of the body by plastics to our ability to mould and change our identities and presentations. Seeing the body, identity and our environment as something which is not fixed, but can be constantly reshaped and continually changed, presents creating and thinking through plastics as something to be welcomed instead of avoided. Plastics shape us, but we in turn can shape them.
This entire project serves as a starting point for people to begin considering their relationship with plastics and the future that they want for this material. Do we want to get rid of plastic materials completely? Do we want to use biodegradable plastic instead? Do we want to continue to reduce, reuse and recycle? Is some combination of all of these solutions the best way forward? This project presents these questions to the audience and allows them to make up their own mind.

This project explores observations on how Muireann has seen in society a disgust and dislike for plastic materials, in relation to their environmental damage, which is understandable. Her research has also explored the benefits that plastic materials provide. They protect life-saving medical equipment, they protected us during the pandemic, they clothe and provide us with so many objects integral to everyday life. This project not only warns of the dangers of continuing to live with plastics, but also celebrates these materials, showing the dichotomy of how necessary but destructive they are at the same time.
This project presents plastics as something beautiful and argues that in our shared future we must take care of them, in order to take care of ourselves.

Making process

The making process for De Plasticene involves the creation of bioplastics using a variety of recipes. The primary formulations include:

- Gelatine, glycerine, water
- Potato starch, glycerine, water, vinegar
- Tapioca starch, glycerine, water, vinegar

Biopolymers can either be purchased or derived from food waste. To create the bioplastics, a polymer (such as potato starch) is combined with water, glycerine, and vinegar. This mixture is then heated in a pot before being poured, moulded, or shaped and left to dry.
Natural dyes, including food colouring and spices, are incorporated into the process to add colour. Examples of natural dyes used include:

- Beetroot juice
- Turmeric powder
- Spirulina
- Paprika powder

Dyes are applied by mixing them directly into the cooked bioplastic, pouring them over the surface, or painting them onto the material before it dries.

Experimentation is central to the process. Different recipes, ingredient ratios, dyeing methods, and drying techniques are tested to explore variations in texture, flexibility, and colour. The process is hands-on, encouraging direct engagement with the material and a willingness to embrace unpredictability and discovery.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.