Event Two | Jessica Irish

Jessica Irish is a director of several movies including The Mortal Plastik which explores the increasingly toxic production and consumption of plastic products and its effect on the environment. At the beginning of the event, she mentioned the idea of using storytelling to affect change rather than statistics or other data– I saw this concept to be deeply reflected in her projects. I find this so interesting and something that I have never considered before, as in the past, I have considered quantitative data to be more persuasive than qualitative; however, after seeing how much her short film was able to connect with the audience, I am beginning to understand this new form of convincing. 


Screen shot from The Mortal Plastik– one of the many hand-drawn sketches that emphasize how often we touch and use plastic. 


The way Jessica Irish began the creative process for The Mortal Plastik was so inspirational. She began with a passion and a sketchbook, and allowed her mind to wander in order to explore deep into this issue. The way that she let herself merge art and science through these drawings, and later through the influence of poetry, greatly sculpted the commencement of the final product. She disclosed that a majority of the ideas in her sketchbook did not make it into the film in addition to her remark about the beauty of poetry and the way that it forces the creator to condense their words to focus on only what is necessary. Through this, Irish teaches a beautiful lesson about the importance of the selective process while formulating a product in order to create clarity and conciseness for the audience to best understand the message you are sending out. 


Screen shot from Jessica Irish’s Zoom event– one of the pieces of writing that influenced the creative process of The Mortal Plastik


I would highly recommend to others to listen to Jessica Irish’s story and view her films, especially The Mortal Plastik. It is so interesting to not only see this captivating, compelling film, but also to acknowledge how effective her creative process was in merging science and art to produce such a raw product. 


Screen shot from The Mortal Plastik– one of the images that exhibit the intersection of art, science, and data in order to connect with the audience. 




Screenshot of attendance email: 




Works Cited

Jess Irish – hybrid works: film, design, art, poetry, https://jessirish.com/. Accessed 13 May 2022.

Bauman, Brooke. “How plastics contribute to climate change » Yale Climate Connections.” Yale Climate Connections, 20 August 2019, https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/08/how-plastics-contribute-to-climate-change/. Accessed 13 May 2022.

Irish, Jess. This Mortal Plastik: Film, 2021, http://thismortalplastik.com/. Accessed 13 May 2022.

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