‘Fragments’ – First in a series of films with Cornwall based artist studio A F Mackie

From their website:

When fishing industry floats are discarded or lost at sea, they become subjected to various environmental factors that contribute to their breakdown and transformation over time. The breakdown process goes on forever: floats become fragments, fragments become microplastics, and microplastics become nanoplastics.

Due to the interplay of ocean currents, wind patterns, and local geography, coastal locations siphon specific marine debris, concentrating them in distinct areas along the shoreline. The boulder section at one end of our local beach specialises in this material almost exclusively. 

We endeavour to recover the material on the spring low tides, which occurs approximately every 14 days, coinciding with the new and full moon phases. 

With reference to the kinetic art movement popularised in the mid-20th century by artists such as Alexander Calder and Jean Tinguely, the fragments are used to create a series of mobile sculptures that respond to air flow using principles of balance and motion. The series will complete when the beach is clear.