In this video Sissel Marie Tonn talks about the research that preceded and inspired the project Plastic Hypersea. Plastic Hypersea is an interactive, site-specific work that speculates on a possible future for the field of immunology in which it has merged with the field of Environmental Health. As the listener explores the terrain they are invited to imagine the environment as an extension of their immune system and to contemplate the many ways in which their bodies are entangled with microplastics in the sediments of Amsterdam’s waterways. Ultimately, Plastic Hypersea asks listeners to abandon the war metaphors haunting immunology and to contemplate a more expanded sense of self.

Sissel Marie Tonn is a Danish artist based in The Hague. Her practice focuses on the shifts in perception that occur when humans are entangled with their environment, blurring the boundaries between bodies and surroundings. Her artistic research often results in interactive sensorial installations and objects as an invitation for the audience to actively participate in her works.

Photo Pieter Kers