[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.65,0:00:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is Sian Ka'an.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.14,0:00:07.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just south of Tulum\Non Mexico's Caribbean coast,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.69,0:00:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's a federally protected reserve,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.06,0:00:12.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.23,0:00:15.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and one of the most biodiverse\Nregions on the planet.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.16,0:00:17.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when I first visited in 2010,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.16,0:00:20.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was horrified and completely confused
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.12,0:00:22.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as to why the beach was covered in trash.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.59,0:00:26.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I soon realized that it was floating in\Nfrom all over the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.43,0:00:29.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've since returned,\Nafter that first journey,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.83,0:00:31.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,several times a year
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.25,0:00:33.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to visit Sian Ka'an,\Nto the country of my birth,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.74,0:00:35.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to work with this trash.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.22,0:00:36.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so far,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.41,0:00:40.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we've documented garbage from\N58 different countries and territories
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.85,0:00:42.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on six continents,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.45,0:00:46.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all washing ashore\Nin this paradise in Mexico.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.36,0:00:48.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although I can never know\Nwhere a product was dropped,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.00,0:00:52.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can, at times, based on the label,\Nknow where something was made.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.98,0:00:56.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In red, you see all of the countries\Nrepresented by their trash
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.90,0:00:58.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Sian Ka'an.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.65,0:01:03.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Such as these Haitian butter containers\Nin all shapes and sizes,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.63,0:01:05.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jamaican water bottles.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.22,0:01:08.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not surprisingly, a lot of the stuff\Nis from neighboring Caribbean countries,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.91,0:01:10.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the stuff is from everywhere.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.53,0:01:12.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's a sampling\Nof international water bottles.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.93,0:01:16.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And one of the ironies is that\Na lot of what I'm finding
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.08,0:01:18.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are products for cleaning\Nand beautification,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.83,0:01:22.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such as this item from the United States,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.53,0:01:24.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is actually made\Nto protect your plastic,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.38,0:01:26.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.91,0:01:29.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,shampoo from South Korea,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.30,0:01:30.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bleach from Costa Rica
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.86,0:01:32.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a Norwegian toilet cleaner.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.85,0:01:35.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's items that are all\Nvery familiar to us,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.46,0:01:38.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or at least I hope you're familiar\Nwith these toothbrushes.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.89,0:01:39.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.60,0:01:42.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Kitchen utensils.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.55,0:01:44.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Toys.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.09,0:01:49.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm also finding evidence\Nof burning plastic trash,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.72,0:01:52.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which releases cancer-causing\Nfumes into the air.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.96,0:01:55.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People ask what's the most\Ninteresting item that I've found,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.84,0:01:59.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that's by far this prosthetic leg.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.40,0:02:02.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in the background, if you can see\Nthat blue little bottle cap,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.55,0:02:03.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the time that I found it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.95,0:02:06.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was actually the home\Nto this little hermit crab.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.54,0:02:07.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This guy is so cute.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.85,0:02:09.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.38,0:02:13.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.24,0:02:17.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's these fascinating objects,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.56,0:02:19.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also horrifying objects,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.77,0:02:21.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,each with their own history,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.32,0:02:25.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I use to make my ephemeral,\Nenvironmental artworks.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.46,0:02:28.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it all started with this image\Nin February of 2010,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.28,0:02:29.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I first visited Sian Ka'an.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.92,0:02:33.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I noticed that blue was the most\Nprevalent color among the plastic.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.79,0:02:37.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Purple is actually the most rare color.\NIt's kind of like gold to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.12,0:02:38.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But blue is the most prevalent,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.64,0:02:40.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I gathered some of the blues
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.36,0:02:43.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and made this little arrangement\Nin front of the blue sky
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.08,0:02:44.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and blue Caribbean waters.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.99,0:02:47.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when I took a photograph\Nand looked at the test shot,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.71,0:02:50.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was like a lightning bolt\Nhit me in that moment,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.53,0:02:52.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I knew I was going\Nto have to come back
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.59,0:02:56.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to create a whole series\Nof installations on location
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.14,0:02:57.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and photograph them.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.79,0:02:59.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this turned out to be a sketch
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.67,0:03:03.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a work that I completed\Nthree years later.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.76,0:03:06.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had no idea that almost 10 years later,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.14,0:03:08.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,almost a decade later,\NI'd still be working on it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.88,0:03:10.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the problem persists.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.24,0:03:13.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'm going to show you\Nsome of the images
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.31,0:03:17.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the series that I called "Washed Up:\NTransforming a Trashed Landscape."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.100,0:03:20.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Please keep in mind that\NI do not paint the garbage.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.32,0:03:23.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm collecting it\Nand organizing it by color
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.54,0:03:26.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the same beaches where I find it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.38,0:03:38.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is my precious trash pile\Nas seen in 2015
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.35,0:03:41.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after putting on a first edition\Nof the "Museo de la Basura,"
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.87,0:03:43.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or "Museum of Garbage."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.41,0:03:47.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's fully my intention\Nto care for this garbage,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.55,0:03:48.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to exalt it,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.72,0:03:49.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,put it on a pedestal
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.90,0:03:51.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to curate it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.25,0:03:53.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have all seen devastating images
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.73,0:03:56.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of animals dying\Nwith plastic in their bellies.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.12,0:03:58.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's so important for us\Nto really see those
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.95,0:04:00.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to take those in.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.38,0:04:04.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's by making aesthetic --\Nsome might say beautiful -- arrangements
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.16,0:04:05.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of the world's waste,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.65,0:04:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I'm trying to hook the viewer
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.32,0:04:11.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to draw in those that might be numb\Nto the horrors of the world
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.60,0:04:15.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and give them a different way\Nto understand what's happening.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.48,0:04:17.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some have described\Nthe Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.02,0:04:20.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as an island twice the size of Texas,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.18,0:04:22.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I've been told that it's hard to see
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.19,0:04:23.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it's more like a smog.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.17,0:04:25.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So through my artwork,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.83,0:04:29.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I attempt to depict the reality\Nof what's happening with our environment
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.76,0:04:32.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to make the invisible visible.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.57,0:04:35.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My key question at first,\Nafter starting the project,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.10,0:04:37.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was, "What do I do\Nwith the garbage when I'm done?"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.57,0:04:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was told by some\Nthat it could be damaged goods
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.76,0:04:45.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after traveling across the ocean\Nand being exposed to the elements,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.29,0:04:49.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it could become degraded\Nand potentially ruin a batch of recycling.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.01,0:04:53.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The landfill was not\Na happy resting place, either.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.07,0:04:55.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then finally, it dawned on me,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.78,0:04:59.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after all of the effort by me\Nand all of the people who have helped me
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.51,0:05:02.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,collect and organize and clean this trash,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.27,0:05:03.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I should keep it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.83,0:05:06.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so that's the plan,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.21,0:05:08.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to use it and to reuse it endlessly
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.90,0:05:10.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make more artwork
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.42,0:05:14.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to engage communities\Nin environmental art-making.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.11,0:05:18.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is an example of a community-based\Nartwork that we did last year
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.87,0:05:22.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the local youth\Nof Punta Allen in Sian Ka'an.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.45,0:05:26.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A key part of the community work\Nare the beach cleans
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.10,0:05:27.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and education programming.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.94,0:05:30.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as this community\Naround the project grows
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.50,0:05:32.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as my trash collection grows,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.62,0:05:36.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I really believe that\Nthe impact will as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.03,0:05:37.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so, over the years,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.32,0:05:41.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've become a little obsessed\Nwith my trash collection.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.38,0:05:45.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I pack it into suitcases\Nand travel with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.14,0:05:47.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I take it on vacation with me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.28,0:05:48.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.70,0:05:50.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in the latest work,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.61,0:05:54.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've begun to break the two-dimensional\Nplane of the photograph.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.80,0:05:56.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm really excited about this new work.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.93,0:05:59.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I see these as living artworks
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.76,0:06:02.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that will morph and grow over time.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.72,0:06:06.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although my greatest wish\Nis that I run out of the raw material
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.72,0:06:08.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for this work,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.12,0:06:09.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're not there yet.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.42,0:06:11.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in the next phase of the project,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.29,0:06:13.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I plan on continuing the community work
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.72,0:06:16.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and making my own work\Nat a much larger scale,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.27,0:06:19.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the problem is massive.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.93,0:06:26.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Eight million tons of plastic waste\Nenter our oceans every year,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.27,0:06:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,destroying ecosystems.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.50,0:06:33.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right now, as I speak, there's literally\Nan oil spill of plastic happening.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.17,0:06:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I see this project as a plea for help\Nand a call to action.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.07,0:06:42.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our health and future\Nis inextricably linked
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.87,0:06:44.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to that of our oceans.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.15,0:06:48.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I call the project "Washed Up:\NTransforming a Trashed Landscape,"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.56,0:06:50.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's actually transformed me
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.42,0:06:53.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and made me rethink\Nmy own behaviors and consumption.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.75,0:06:56.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if it can help anybody else\Ngain more awareness,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.100,0:06:58.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then it will have been worthwhile.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.96,0:07:00.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you so much.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.14,0:07:03.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)