Plastic Soup—Invisible Matters is a research-driven project organised by ZONE SOUND CREATIVE in collaboration with the multidisciplinary laboratory dériveLAB and the cultural space BEMA in Mexico. This international partnership brought together artists from Taiwan and Latin America, exploring the intersection of art, technology, and environmental awareness. Central to the project was the concept of the Environmental Sensory, encouraging artists to reflect on the interconnectedness of human and nonhuman elements within ecological systems.

Amid the pervasive anxiety and helplessness surrounding climate change—what Donna Haraway describes as a state of “indecisive agitation”—the project invited creative engagement with environmental disturbances. Through a year of remote collaboration, artists developed modular installations by integrating open-source environmental sensor networks and digital fabrication technologies. These adaptive, movable devices responded to local environmental conditions and were showcased in public spaces in both Taiwan and Latin America.

In Mexico, dériveLAB launched the ⊛ PIP Ciudad Futuro project, creating a futuristic environmental monitoring structure embedded in the urban landscape. In Taiwan, site-specific devices were designed to navigate the city, offering dynamic interactions with environmental data.

By inviting audiences to actively engage with the installations, the project blurred the lines between observer and creator, encouraging participants to sense the visible and invisible layers of their surroundings. Plastic Soup—Invisible Matters aimed to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and deepen public awareness of environmental issues through the lens of civic science and art.