Pathogen is site-responsive sculpture constructed from discarded plastic bottles. The work takes the form of a COVID-19 molecule, its spiked surface evoking the coronavirus that had come to define the global moment. Created during the height of the pandemic, the sculpture drew a powerful parallel between the behaviour of a biological pathogen—silent, pervasive, and replicating uncontrollably—and the relentless infiltration of plastic waste into natural environments. At night, the work was illuminated by an ethereal blue light, lending it an unsettling, radioactive glow, suggesting something toxic and enduring. This haunting illumination invited viewers to consider how humanity has become both a victim of and vector for parallel contagions: the virus itself, and the slower, more insidious epidemic of plastic pollution.

 

The installation won the 'Sustainability Prize' at Castaways Sculpture Awards 2021, Rockingham, WA.