Plastic Vanitas is a new series of photographic works by Mariele Neudecker and curated by Susan Lambert. Developed as part of a residency at the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP) and the Arts University Bournemouth, Neudecker re-presents the MoDiP’s plastic collection as vanitas still lifes.

Vanitas painting is a specific genre of still-life painting in which the most exquisite accoutrements of everyday life are presented as symbols of the worthlessness of earthly achievement and the inevitability of death.

Plastic is part of the East End’s history: Alexander Parkes trademarked the first ever man-made plastic, Parkesine, in his Hackney Wick factory in 1856, just down the road from the Nunnery Gallery. More than 100 years later plastic plays a significant role in our day-to-day lives. Plastic Vanitas illuminates the many faces of plastic, revealing the narratives of its past and probing the question of its future.

The Nunnery Gallery is open six days a week (Tuesday – Sunday) from 10am – 4pm at 181-183 Bow Road.