Annabel researched the specific effects of plastics upon different sea creatures before making her puppets. She learned that lobsters shed and then eat their shells, meaning that plastics – which become embedded in the shells – never leave the lobsters’ system.
Annabel said: “Larry the Lobster has had enough. Made from discarded plastic, he’s here to bring awareness to the growing issues around the future of his kind, and take the plastic back to where it came from.”
The inspiration for Manuel the Manta Ray, meanwhile, stemmed from a concern that manta rays may be made extinct because of sea pollution.
Annabel said: “The way Manta Ray’s gills filter their food is currently being looked at by scientists as a way to clean the ocean of plastic. Although by the time this design becomes a reality, Manta Rays may have been wiped out from plastic pollution.”
Annabel described her time on the 3D Design and Craft course as “absolutely fantastic”. After graduating, she plans to work as a freelance prop and puppet maker. After a work experience stint at the National Theatre last summer, Annabel has been asked to work freelance for the theatre.
The University of Brighton 3D Design and Craft Graduate Show takes place 1–9 June at the university’s City campus.