Loughborough Lecturer Transforms Plastic Waste into Art for Public Engagement

Dr. Katarina Dimitrijevic, a Lecturer in Graphic Design at Loughborough University, is using installation art and reuse workshops to make the issue of plastic pollution more tangible and understandable for the public. In an opinion piece, she reflects on 15 years of creative work that transforms discarded single-use plastics into art, aiming to shift public perception and encourage conversations about waste, circularity, and environmental consequences.

Dimitrijevic's practice, developed through her KraalDesignedisposal studio, confronts the often-abstract nature of plastic pollution statistics. She argues that while data on tonnage and microplastics highlight the scale of the problem, art can foster a more direct and personal understanding of plastic's persistence and pervasiveness across ecosystems, including marine and atmospheric environments.

Her installations aim to transform plastic from a perceived problem into a visible, tactile material that opens dialogues about reuse and responsibility. Works like "Xmass workshop sign" utilize festive waste to comment on excess consumption, while observations from a polluted coastline informed pieces about plastic's integration into marine environments and potential entry into the food chain.

The "Plastic Waste Ecologies" exhibition, co-curated with artist Carina Brand, featured suspended plastic forms designed to prompt visitors to consider plastic's circulation through air, land, and water. Dimitrijevic's approach seeks to make the persistence of plastic waste tangible by bringing it into shared spaces, encouraging audiences to reflect on their discarded materials and the potential for creative waste reduction.