Environment Shortlist

Photos of microplastics – tiny plastic particles originating from manufactured products and are prevalent in seawater. They are considered pollutants and the amount of microplastics found on the ocean floor worldwide is estimated to be 14 million tonnes. Some microplastics can be detected in sea salt. Each particle has its specific origin and had its own value when it was part of a product. However, as they have been anonymised, we cannot know about the past identities and histories of each microplastic particle. Through this work, as viewers engage with them in their current form, new stories begin to emerge.

N/A is the artist unit Kikoh Matsuura and Kazuki Ide. We started our journey from 2018 constructing artworks such as installations, videos, and photographs that depict the interconnections in natural life. We use both scientific techniques and context to weave our stories. We hope that viewers experiencing our work will interpret it in a context different from our intentions.