Lourdes holy water washed up on beach

Contributed by fran

Bottle of holy water from Lourdes

This bottle of holy water - unopened - washed up at my feet on the beach at Shingle Street in Suffolk, over 800 miles away from Lourdes. The story of how this holy water came to wash up here will remain a mystery... However, I think it nevertheless has a powerful tale to tell. Plastic in the marine environment lasts for hundreds of years (or more), breaking down into ever smaller particles and eventually entering the food chain. Plastics and packaging floating in the sea are mistaken for food by wildlife, resulting in the death of an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and over one million seabirds every year. The huge volume of plastic in the sea tells a compelling story about the way we live now, which will result in a legacy of plastic particles in the environment long after the oil runs out. The use of plastic (with its eternal properties) to package holy water is not only ironic but also a telling symbol of our devotion to plastics in current times.

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Location

Shingle Street, Suffolk

Culture
Period
Theme
Size
H:
16cm
W:
4cm
D:
3cm
Colour
Material

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