By now we all know about plastics; that they are in our earth, in our air and in our waterways. Every waterway. Everywhere. And yet...

More than 25,000kg of plastic is littered in New Zealand every day and scientists project that there will be more plastics than fish in the sea by 2050.

As an artist in the era of climate crisis, it’s often tough to justify making, or at least making in a particular way. Material production creates waste, processes carry carbon footprints and products often come in non-sustainable packaging. The sheets of clear plastic creating the water is stitched together repurposed greeting card sleeves. Protective plastic sleeves exemplify our complete disregard for things actually important and showcase our misaligned priorities. Resurrecting discarded items to faceoff with viewers, I hope to convey a reality, juxtaposing the timelessness, fragility and life of the Tāmaki Estuary with the fleeting permanence of the plastic. But, it’s not all doom and gloom. Tāmaki Estuary’s seagrass meadows disappeared for decades but are making a comeback. This reemergence is a sign of hope, a visible reward for conservation efforts.