collecting nurdles in Oslo (new post to follow)
Hi folks! I am finally in Norway and it has been a whirlwind for sure! The feelings of moving to a new country (and during another covid surge…) are reminiscent to being sucked into a rip tide – there’s this power of a transition happening and even if prepared, you still find yourself flapping around with your mind and body not quite communicating, and the confusion of trying to figure out if you are sinking or swimming….As we head into spring I am starting to feel more buoyant and want to share what I am doing here!
I am incredibly honoured to be in Norway on a Fulbright Scholarship and an American Scandinavian Grant furthering my ocean pollution research. My project involves collaborating with an amazing team of scientists who study plastic pollution at The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI). I discovered NGI while google-ing micro plastic research in Norway and after reading the published articles, I had a feeling this orgization would be a good fit for my project. I sent an email to Hans Peter Arp (an environmental chemist at NGI) expressing my interest in working together and was pleasantly surprised when he promptly responded with positive feedback. After many emails and sharing ideas , he wrote an incredible letter of support for my project! I was awarded the grants back in 2020 but (like everyone else in the world), plans changed and the waiting game began for travel.
Fast forward to now, I am kicking off 2022 in a new country, in a new lab, and meeting amazing people. So far my approach to the project is to be a sponge. Talk to people, observe, and absorb information and inspiration as it comes my way. My hope is for this blog to be a place to work through ideas and update people on what I am up to!
So let’s get to it. Let’s make some artwork that is informed by science. Let’s share our knowledge and skills across borders. And as my Grandpa Mike would say on beach clean ups, “let’s leave it better than we found it.”
