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Washed-up plastic turned into artwork

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery Prof Claire Gwinnett and Laura Wilkinson are stood outside by a green painted fence next to artwork. Claire has long brown/blonde hair and is wearing a large yellow scarf over a dark jacket and patterned top. Laura has a white jacket on over a top with long, red hair and is wearing a bobble hat. Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Prof Claire Gwinnett and Laura Wilkinson have helped organise the display at the museum

Plastic waste that washed up on beaches has been turned into artwork and gone on display in Staffordshire.

The collages are made entirely from plastic fragments found on UK beaches to help highlight the problem of plastic pollution.

The artwork, which was made by members of the public earlier this year, has gone on display at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.

Prof Claire Gwinnett, a leading expert in microplastic pollution who was involved in the project, said educating people to change their understanding about plastic use was important.

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery Green plastic squares and shapes appear in three sections and placed in a circular shape with gaps between each groupingPotteries Museum & Art Gallery
Almost 70 artworks were made during workshops run by Cornish artist Dan Lewis earlier this year

"We know that this is a problem created by humans, and for the solutions to be effective they have got to come from people."

She added that it had been a "brilliant collaboration" with the museum.

"It’s fantastic to see the artwork in a public space and it’s so attractive that people will want to know more about the issue and the research that we do at University of Staffordshire."

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery Multi-coloured bits of plastic form the shape of a fish in one piece and with the second design in a circular shapePotteries Museum & Art Gallery
Members of the public created whatever designs they wanted using the plastic waste

Almost 70 pieces of artwork were created during the Make Plastic History event organised by University of Staffordshire and the museum and run by Cornish artist Dan Lewis.

Each one was photographed and a selection has gone on show, the museum said.

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery Multi-coloured bits of plastic form a circle and a second is more random with a circle and shards of plastic next to it and smaller pieces of plastic abovePotteries Museum & Art Gallery
A selection of the pieces are on display in the museum’s Secret Garden area

Co-organiser Laura Wilkinson, a research associate at the university, said visitors had learned a lot about microplastics form the event.

Lewis added: "The main impact our Make Plastic History event had on me was to witness the connections between people, hear their ideas, understand the action they are taking personally around plastics and know that they have hope and possibility about the future."

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