Perspectives on a better future for plastics

Join us for an informative and frank discussion on the current state of plastics and the different possibilities for its future sustainability, in partnership with the UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub.

We will be joined by Professor Mark Miodownik, a materials engineer and Professor of Materials and Society at UCL, who will cover topics including molecular recycling, bio-derived polymers, the plastic life-cycle and our own changing behaviour towards materials.

With the opportunity to ask questions, this event is a chance to get your plastics facts straight and help join the movement of change to tackle the growing problem of plastic waste. 

Mark Miodownik is the UCL Professor of Materials and Society. He received his Ph.D in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials engineer in the USA, Ireland and the UK. For more than fifteen years he has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme. Mark is an award winning author and regularly presents BBC TV and radio programmes on materials science and engineering. In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to materials science, engineering and broadcasting.

Please note that the gallery will open from 6pm for a chance to view the exhibition, with the talk beginning at 7pm. 

Tickets £3/5 (concession rate applies to under 18s, students, over 65s and Bow Arts artists)

Book tickets

Raw Materials explores the forgotten industrial history of plastic in east London around the River Lea. The exhibition reveals the story of east London's central role in the invention and early development of plastics, showcasing some of the very first plastic objects alongside newly commissioned artwork which tell the story of this material’s remarkable journey. Read more about the exhibition here.

Raw Materials: Plastics has been made possible through the generous support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the project’s academic partner UCL.

Image credit: UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub