PD~Plastisphere2025 — Lorraine Cruz

Living in a Plastisphere(2025)
Biomaterials, synthetic plastics, mycelium, bacteria

"Living in a Plastisphere" investigates how microbial communities that colonize and adapt to plastic, known as plastispheres, mirror human dependence on plastics and reveal how plastic is reshaping ecosystems at both micro and macro scales.

Reaearch

The project examines how mycelia and bacteria collaborate to degrade synthetic plastics: fungi such as Pestalotiopsis microspora metabolize plastic in oxygen-limited environments, while bacteria like Ideonella sakaiensis secrete PETase enzymes that break it into monomers. By examining how these organisms collaborate to break down synthetic plastics, the project rethinks cycles of waste and asks how these processes might inspire alternatives to single-use manufacturing and extractive production.

Questions

In what ways can we rethink our reliance on single-use plastic cycles?

Are there alternative realities to plastic economies; ones grounded in decomposition, recycling, reuse, or even a complete halt in production?

In what ways might ecological grief be transformed into the energy to reimagine and reshape our futures?

Wet-lab Documentation

Material Recovery Facility

Publication