Hello Plastic

An exhibition at the Het Nieuwe Instituut shows, in the form of a 3D documentary, how far-reaching innovation in materials has fired the imagination for a century.

The Pink Project, Jiwoo and her pink things, Light Jet Print, 20017. © JeongMee Yoon

3D printing is seen as the promise of Do It Yourself culture. A material largely processed industrially thus far, plastic is now becoming applicable for individuals and bottom-up initiatives.

But will this democratic promise become reality? There is a possibility that control of the technology and material will remain in the hands of industrial monopolies. “Plastic: Promises of a Home-Made Future” illuminates the perspectives of commercial, political and artistic parties.

**Above**: The Pink Project, Jiwoo and her pink things, Light Jet Print, 20017. © JeongMee Yoon. **Top**: “Plastic: Promises of a Home-Made Future”, view of the exhibition. Ohoto Johannes Schwartz

The exhibition takes the form of a 3D documentary in which visitors learn about the significance and history of plastic by means of videos and objects. Once a symbol of progress, plastic is now synonymous for increasing environmental pollution and blind consumer excess. But the emergence of 3D printing technology and recycling possibilities transforms this controversial material into an ecological promise.

“Plastic: Promises of a Home-Made Future” shows how far-reaching innovation in materials has fired the imagination for a century, yet has always evoked doom scenarios.