block to blob

Description

Plastic objects surround us every day; their glossy surfaces conceal their natural origins. In his diploma project at HfG Karlsruhe, Lukas Klein critically examines plastic as an omnipresent yet anonymous material. Through text and video, ‘block to blob’ traces the hidden paths of plastics and reveals the industrial landscapes required for their production. Karlsruhe, the terminus of the Transalpine Pipeline — one of Germany’s most important oil pipelines — becomes the focal point of the petro-industrial complex. The journey ends in a forest in Alsace, where a naturally occurring oil spring exposes the organic source of plastic.