Microplastic In The Thames River by Jinxiu Chen & Lu Zheng

Unseen, our plasticising planet
Microplastics are much closer to us than we thought.

According to the scientific journal, the global average weekly intake of microplastics per person is almost the size of a credit card. Microplastics are everywhere - in the air, our water, food, and even our bodies - and we know almost nothing about them.

Microplastics in the Thames River Project is a data visualization design project based on a plastics dataset. For residents of London, the Thames River is the most essential source of tap water for 70% of their lives. This project explored microplastic pollution in high-density areas along the river over six months, using the Thames as an observation point and a location for collecting samples. These objects were remade in resin, which retains all traces of the microplastics in our lives.

Through the physical and local data collection, this project aims to give people a sense of how close we are to microplastics, thus inspiring them to make more sustainable and healthy life choices.