Hughes-Oelrich is an artist residing in San Diego and a Professor of Art at San Diego City College. Her artwork has often commented on the environment and works in tandem with her courses where she teaches sustainable art and design. A visual wave encapsulating its audience, this installation speaks to the environmental impacts of the pandemic. Air became cleaner as fuel consumption dropped. Yet single-use plastic consumption soared with increased production, overuse and waste. Hughes-Oelrich’s work imagines what role plastic would have in our lives ten years into the future, forecasting a more positive vision of the future to create motivation towards accomplishing change. While the project celebrates the invention of some of these amazing plastic devices, it also questions their necessity and asks how we can reduce our consumption, especially of single-use plastic.

Terminal 2 East, Post-Security, Gate 24