Seabirds vs. Plastic

CHANNELS Stop-Motion Animation - Typography - Motion Design - Video Editing - Scientific Reasearch

PROJECT BRIEF:

Create a project in the medium of your choosing that highlights an economical issue you’ve observed during your time in Ireland.

WHAT IS THE GES?:

The Global Ecologies Studio held at the Burren College of Art is a month-long combined studio and science course based in Western Ireland. It allows students to examine the Irish landscape and be inspired by its intricacies. I have been rooted in Irish culture all my life through Irish dance, and I have always been interested in using my design skills for activism and conservation. This program was a no-brainer for me.

MY TAKE:

Plastics getting in our oceans has been a prominent issue for years, and something I witnessed first hand at a group beach cleanup at Fanore Beach. This issue is no longer just affecting ocean life and habitats, it has extended beyond marine ecosystems, increasingly impacting global environmental health and wellbeing. Seabirds for example are a species being horribly affected by this issue. Ingestion and entanglement are 2 of the biggest issues. I created 3 mixed media motion videos to act as PSAs centered around 3 different seabirds found along the Irish coastline. My message is simple: keep the plastics out of the ocean.

My final display included my storyboard for each sequence, as well as a monitor playing the videos on a loop. The work was included in the Ag breathnú ar Éire show in August of 2025.

PROCESS:

While I was in this program I learned about ecology in the Burren by taking field trips with my group to different places. One of those places was Fanore Beach where we did a class beach cleanup. During the cleanup week I learned about the growing ocean plastic crisis and how it started having an effect on land animals (specifically seabirds). This was my main source of inspiration and research starting point. Then I began constructing a demo reel of the concept so I could practice getting the movements just right. I then drew up my storyboards so I could make a plan to shoot each of the three videos. Once I did that, I made the puppets and got all of the shots using the Stop-Motion Studio app on my phone and a green screen. Then I took it into Premiere Pro and After Effects to edit and export them.

SOFTWARE:

Stop-Motion Studios
After Effects
Premeire Pro

Research:

Puppet Building & Demo Reel:

Storyboarding:

Shooting:

Seabirds vs. Plastic

PROCESS:

This project was created as part of the Global Ecologies Studio for the Burren College of Art in Ireland.