Plastic Dialogues: Unearthing Waste Colonialism

Contributors will include exhibiting artists, Ravi Agarwal, Diana Lelonek, Kevin van Braak, Maarten Vanden Eynde and international experts including Professor Caroline Knowles, Professor Rosalind Malcolm and EU Policy Analyst Elahe Rajabiani. Convened by Graham Jeffery and Ben Parry.

The debate will be in English.

Program details

Plastic Dialogues
Friday April 11, 1:00 – 6:00 pm
het Glazen Huis, Amstelpark

1:00 Walk in for view of the exhibition in presence of the artists

2:00 Welcome (Alice Smits, director Zone2Source)

2:15 Introduction to Material Flows (Ben Parry, curator and artist)

2:45 Maarten van den Eynde (artist)

3:05 Kevin van der Braak (artist)

3:25 Q&A

3:40 break

4:00 Introduction UN Draft (Rosalind Malcolm, Professor of Environmental Law in the Surrey Law School, University of Surrey, UK)

4:30 Overview of toxic waste (Ravi Agarwal, researcher and artist)

5:00 Panel discussion Plastics Treaty Analysis Working Group (Elahe Rajabiani (designer at the EU Policy Lab), Graham Jeffery (Professor Arts and Media Practice, University of the West of Scotland), Caroline Knowles (Global Professorial Fellow in the School of Geography at Queen Mary, University of London), and Ben Parry)

6:00 Closing and drinks


As part of the exhibition Material Flows: The Hidden Afterlives of Plastic Waste, this two-day symposium and workshop invites participants to critically explore the intersections of plastic pollution, colonial histories, power, people and environmental justice. Building on a long-term research project, the symposium examines how global waste flows perpetuate inequalities, focusing on the movement of European waste to Southeast Asia via the Netherlands. Bringing together researchers, artists, designers, and activists, the symposium will foster dialogue around the reframing of plastic pollution as a form of waste colonialism.

The event transforms Zone2Source’s Amstelpark pavilion into a space for ‘Plastic Dialogues’, connecting interdisciplinary perspectives to inspire and enable discussions on the environmental impacts of plastics. Participants will engage with critical questions:

• How can we trace the colonial legacies and environmental injustices embedded in contemporary global waste flows?

• What roles can artists, designers, and researchers play in critiquing and transforming these systems?

• How do global waste streams reinforce systemic inequalities and what are their long-term impacts?

• What could a world beyond plastic look like, and how might it address the historical debts of waste colonialism?

Key events include the European launch of the book, Waste Work: The Art of Survival in Dharavi, a publication reflecting on the knowledges and urban struggles shaping informal recycling work in Mumbai, India, and a session led by the Plastics Treaty Analysis Working Group. These dialogues interface with current policy developments, including the draft UN Global Plastics Treaty, which seeks to end plastic pollution through circular economy principles.

The event will begin with a tour of Material Flows exhibition with many of the artists present. Through keynote talks, panel discussions, and interactive workshops, participants will engage with the entangled histories of plastic waste and consider its toxic impacts on communities and ecosystems. This symposium offers a unique opportunity to connect interdisciplinary perspectives and reimagine pathways toward more equitable and sustainable futures.