ECOTON Introduces the Microplastic Era Through the “Plastic Baby” Art Installation

 

The "Microplastic Baby' art installation at the Urban Market Youth Forum 2026
was held during ramadhan from february 28 to March 8, 2026
,at Rajawali Road Kota Lama Surabaya (saturday, february 28, 2026)  

Surabaya (28/2) – Ecoton presented an art installation titled “Microplastic Baby” at the Urban Market Kota Lama Surabaya event organized by the Surabaya Youth Forum from February 28 to March 8, 2026. In addition to displaying the Microplastic Baby installation, Ecoton also showcased a giant plastic bottle tap reaching 7 meters in height. The Urban Market Youth Forum 2026 activities were held in the late afternoon until evening, just before iftar during Ramadan. “We want to provide information about the dangers of using single-use plastic food packaging, which ultimately leads to health problems,” said Alaikan Rahmatullah. The Coordinator of the East Java Gen Z Network Against Single-Use Plastics (JEJAK) further explained that art installations serve as a medium for public education to introduce the increasingly alarming health impacts of single-use plastic use. The “Microplastic Baby” art installation at the Urban Market Youth Forum 2026 was held during Ramadan, from February 28 to March 8, 2026.

Ecoton Pamerkan Bayi Mikroplastik di Urban Market Kota Lama Surabaya, Kenalkan dampak Negatif Plastik Sekali Pakai

Instalasi bayi Mikroplastik pada gelaran Urban Market Kota lama, digelar
28 Pebruari hingga 8 Maret 2026 di Jl Rajawali Surabaya.

Surabaya (28/2) – Ecoton menghadirkan instalasi seni bertajuk “Bayi Mikroplastik” dalam acara Urban Market Kota Lama Surabaya. Instalasi ini menjadi sarana edukasi publik untuk mengenalkan dampak kesehatan dari penggunaan plastik sekali pakai yang semakin mengkhawatirkan. Instalasi “Bayi Mikroplastik” menggambarkan situasi darurat kesehatan akibat paparan mikroplastik yang kini tidak lagi hanya mencemari sungai dan laut, tetapi telah ditemukan dalam tubuh manusia. Temuan terbaru Ecoton sepanjang 2025 - 2026 menunjukkan adanya kontaminasi mikroplastik dalam air ketuban, darah perempuan, dan air seni. Fakta ini menandai datangnya “era mikroplastik” yaitu sebuah fase ketika peradaban yang selama hampir delapan dekade bergantung pada plastik sekali pakai mulai memanen konsekuensi kesehatannya.

Research Report : Alarm from Microplastics in Amniotic Fluids of Women in Gresik

Rafika Aprilianti (wearing a light brown hijab) and Sofi Azilan Aini (wearing a black hijab), two microplastic researchers from Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation (Ecoton), inside the Ecoton Microplastics Laboratory (Monday, 23 February 2026).

Microplastics have contaminated the amniotic fluid, the fetal membrane. This finding raises alarms that even newborns may be inheriting plastic contamination.

In the delivery room of a hospital in Gresik Regency, East Java, nothing seemed out of place during the birth process. The first cry erupted, and the family expressed gratitude. However, long before that cry was heard, a disturbing discovery was made: the amniotic fluid, previously believed to be sterile and safe for the fetus, was contaminated with microplastics. These findings come from two distinct, mutually reinforcing lines of research. The first is research by Nabilatun Nasaroh, Dinda Auliyatus Saidah, and Paksi Samudro from Malang State University, published in the latest 2026 edition of the Environmental Pollution Journal .