Ayer Ayer: The Nature of Plastic

Words by: Tanya Singh
Photo Credit: Tanya Singh; Ayer Ayer


Ernest Goh, the artist and photographer behind Ayer Ayer, an ecologically-engaged initiative, is both at war and in awe of plastic.


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The story of Ernest Goh's research, artwork, and current environmental mission begins in his childhood. "I still have fleeting images of me running around in my grandmother's backyard surrounded by nature. There were no phones or video games back then. My brother and I would spend our time catching fighting spiders. I trace back my love for the environment to then," shared the artist. A love that culminated into a passion for wildlife and underwater photography, Goh found himself spending a lot of time along coastlines and on the beach. Naturally, his adventures brought him face to face with a formidable enemy, ocean plastics. The encounter and the questions that followed in his mind have since become a topic of interest in his artworks, or rather a lifelong quest.


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Singaporean artist and photographer, Ernest Goh.


The artist's first project that looked into the topic was completed during a residency with the Exactly Foundation between 2016-2017. Titled "Plasticity", the project resulted in a series of photographs, conversations, and essays investigating plastic trash in Singapore. Goh's artist statement in the project catalogue reads, "On the beach, I see you floating carelessly in the water and then wash up onto the shore in billions of tiny bits. Why do you never leave? You remain in the oceans for so long that marine animals suck you in, thinking you are food. That's the last straw for me. Imagine how I feel when you invade the food chain and end up in my fish curry? Are you trying to make me sick – or kill me?". 


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Left to right: Microplastic Bit #01, collected from Punggol Beach, size 2mm, and Microplastic Bit #02, collected from Punggol Beach, size 2mm.


The investigation and research Goh had done for the project snowballed into a traveling installation-based piece titled, "Shore Debris Table". A table holding beach debris and shaped like the coastline the debris was collected from invited viewers to undertake the impossible task of separating micro-plastics from the sand using steel tweezers. The participatory artwork sparked conversations about the growing environmental threat while educating viewers about the challenging characteristics of the material.


Ayer Ayer_04 The Ayer Ayer Art Tiles tile panels made from 100% recycled plastic waste.


"Impactful as it was, the "Shore Debris Table" project also ended with a lot of micro-plastics on my hand. I could have recycled it and made sure that it didn't make its way back to the ocean. But I chose to look at it as a resource," shared Goh, talking about his next and current venture, the Art Tiles and other recycled plastic products. Made from 100% recycled plastic waste, the tiles leverage the indestructible qualities of plastic to create a unique and truly sustainable building material. The project entails collecting post-consumer plastic waste from Singaporean households as well as micro-plastics from the oceans, cleaning and sorting it, and then using it as a material to mold it into tiles, cups, coasters, and more by applying heat and pressure. Interestingly, the entire process is essentially a scaled-down version of what goes on in recycling plants, except the product in Ayer Ayer's case involves creative thought and manipulation. 

Ayer Ayer_05 Ernest Goh at work in his studio.


"In a typical good month, we produce between 20-30 kilograms of product," shared the artist. With each tile reusing 80-100 grams of plastic waste, 20 kilograms of plastic tiles would add up to about 4,000 plastic bottle caps being removed from the ocean or saved from ending up in our waters. "I wish it was every month that we made that much product, but unfortunately, it's not. During months where we do not see as much demand, we continue our marketing and outreach processes via workshops and public art murals that also incorporate the Art Tiles, which at least helps to keep the education and conversation going," said Goh.


Ayer Ayer_06 Each Art Tile uses 16 bottle caps worth of recycled plastic.


While seemingly at war with the material and on a mission to educate the world of its disadvantages, the artist also has an admiration for it, which is almost poetic. "When it comes to using plastic as a building material, it has some very unique characteristics. It is as steady as wood, but also lightweight. We've even tried to soak one of our tiles in red wine, and it showed no signs of staining. It is a miracle material and that's why there is so much of it," he said. When making his products, Goh is always interested in fleshing out the stories micro-plastics tell, whether through a barcode or a vaguely familiar label. "I never try to hide remnants of the plastic's former life. I want to elevate it by recreating it into something that celebrates its qualities and talks about its journey. If someone looks at one of my tiles and recognizes an element that tells them it comes from recycled plastic, that's a success story for me because it forces the conversation I am trying to encourage," he shared.