The Plastic World is a photographic still life project, which reconsiders the ways of seeing the plastic products in the west. While the “plastic” has recently become a word that signals cheapness, environmental harm, and other types of negativity, our life is still heavily dependent on plastic products and many people are still engaged in the plastic industry as labourers. Ideas for this project emerged from my own experience of working as a part time worker at a dollar store where I found the colourful plastic products strangely beautiful as I unboxed shipments from China. By portraying the beauty and colorfulness of the dollar store items often made of plastic, the project encourages viewers to think about the labour devoted into manufacturing those plastic products.

Through Streams of Empathy I wish to expose the stories of hyper-local communities to other global communities experiencing the similar struggles. I captured moments of resistance taking place in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. My goal is to harness photographic vibrancy to convey the protestors’ spirit, passion and energy beyond the granular definition of the images.