LIFE BEYOND PLASTIC The oldest living things in the world by Rachel Sussman
RACHEL SUSSMAN HAS BEEN TRACKING THINGS IN THE WORLD. SHOWING US THAT
Y
ou could be forgiven for thinking that we’re creating our own fairy tale story envisaging a life beyond plastic. Especially when you consider that practically every piece of plastic made since its invention in 1909 still exists today, meaning that the 13 billion plastic water bottles used each year will still be in existence somewhere on our planet even when we are not. But the good news is that there are some organisms that seem to defeat time, like this 2,000 year old Glencoe Baobab that artist Rachel Sussman discovered in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Sussman’s breathtaking project fills us with hope that plastic isn’t the only resistant, perpetual and stubborn object in our world, its seems Mother Nature has a few tricks up her sleeve as well. Rachel has spent the last 5 years traveling the globe in search of these truly amazing feats of nature, working with biologists to create a catalog of the Oldest Living Things in the World. Rachel’s subjects have spanned 20 countries, ranging from trees and ancient bacteria to predatory fungus. As Rachel puts it ‘This thematic convergence of the timeless and timely asks the viewer to consider the natural history and future of our planet, as well as our place on it.’ So next time you get overwhelmed with the heavy realities of plastic pollution, take some time out to look through these images and consider a Life Beyond Plastic.
G DOWN SOME OF THE OLDEST LIVING T THERE REALLY IS A LIFE BEYOND PLASTIC
GLENCOE BAOBAB 2,000 years old Limpopo Province South Africa
BRISTLECONE PINE Up to 5,000 years old White Mountains California
LA LLARETA Up to 3,000 years old Atacama Desert Chile
WELWITSCHIA MIRABILIS 2,000 years old Namib Naukluft Desert Namibia
SAGOLE BAOBAB 2,000 years old Limpopo Province South Africa
CREOSOTE BUSH 12,000 years old Mojave Desert California
BRAIN CORAL 2,000 years old Speyside Tobago
SENTINEL TREE 2,150 years old Sequoia National Park California
MOJAVE YUCCA 12,000+ years old Atacama Desert California
JOMON SUGI, JAPANESE CEDAR 2,180 to 7,000 years old Yaku Shima Japan
LICHEN R. GEOGRAPHICUM 3,000 years old Alanngorsuaq Greenland
PANDO, QUAKING ASPENS 80,000 years old Fish Lake Utah
SPRUCE GRAN PICEA 9,500 years old Fulufj채llet Sweden
UNDERGROUND FOREST 13,000 years old Pretoria South Africa