Litterbugs: a microcosm where plastic waste mimics insect life
Litterbugs explores the curious overlap between two conditions that usually go unnoticed: the silent disappearance of insects and the steady accumulation of plastic waste. Bringing the two together, Henk Loorbach’s work reframes them as parallel microcosms, one fading, the other expanding, both embedded in everyday surroundings.
The series consists of insect-like figures assembled from plastic fragments collected from beaches and urban environments. Bottle caps, straws, fishing line and other discarded items are cut, combined and remodeled into small, hybrid creatures. Rather than completely obscuring their origins, the pieces remain recognizable, allowing familiar objects to take on new roles. There is a certain logic to how each “insect” is put together, although the process often begins simply by noticing a shape or detail that suggests a form.
all images courtesy of Hank Lorbach
Loorbach reshapes plastic waste into a new taxonomy of insects
Each piece is housed in a repurposed container, cigar boxes, drawers or frames, fitted into display cases. This method is reminiscent of natural history collections, but with a slight change in meaning. Rather than preserving biological specimens, these cases frame objects made from materials that are usually considered disposable. The result lies somewhere between classification and improvisation, with no strict classification guiding the arrangement.
Material and scale play a central role. The small size of the works invites closer inspection, echoing the way both insects and microplastics tend to escape immediate attention. The surfaces remain textured and multi-layered, bearing traces of previous use while forming new compositions. In this way, the project doesn’t just reuse material, but lets that material do a bit of talking.
Designer Henk Loorbach transforms excess plastic into representations of what is scarce, establishing a quiet yet sharp relationship between production and loss. Litterbugs suggests that what we throw away and what we risk losing may be more closely related than it first appears.
plastic waste is reassembled into small insect-like forms
the discarded fragments take on new roles as hybrid creatures
found materials are cut, combined and recomposed
