2050

EDITION

2023, Shortlisted

school

University of Cape Town, South Africa

links

@reecebrice.art

Scientists have developed a computer model capable of tracking plastic pollution on our planet. It is projected that more than 1.3 million tons of plastic pollution will flow into our planet's oceans and land over the next two decades if there is no worldwide intervention. It has been hypothesized that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic than marine life in oceans. This will have significant negative effects on humans on land with the ocean functioning as our planet's main oxygen producer, and therefore the true lungs of the planet. Phytoplankton and seaweed are responsible for the absorption of co2 and the release of oxygen. For these two oxygen producers to maintain their vital oxygen-producing functions enabling us to breathe, our ocean ecosystems have to remain stable and thriving. Our terrestrial waste disposal is speeding up the likelihood of these dystopian realities with many countries opting to dump waste into landfills where the plastic finds its way into water or soil. Alternatively, they burn their waste releasing toxic greenhouse gasses into our environment creating health risks and damaging yet again a vital life-sustaining facet of our world, the ozone layer. Destroyed ozone leads to increased UV radiation, resulting in hot harsh environments. People will be subject to overexposure to UV rays leading to skin cancer, cataracts, and weakened immune systems. The world's plant and animal ecosystems will be disrupted having further negative effects on the ability of our planet to sustain life, our environments will become extremely harsh, ruined, and uninhabitable. Drawing from this research my photographic series fast forwards to the year 2050 depicting dystopian scenes that have been predicted concerning the state of our environment and the planet's ability to sustain life. Through constructed set photography, the series explores surreal future depictions to communicate environmental activism. Through visual narrative the series explores what daily activities within this dystopian environment could look like, taking into consideration the adaptations one might have to undergo to survive in the dying world. Through my work, I aim to create positive agency aiding in preventing this fast-approaching dystopian reality our world is facing. My surreal depictions function as explicit warnings and tools for change to help curb my imagined future realities from taking place.