tending with is a cleaning practice and performance spanning set time. It is a committed sand-sifting experience along dispersed beaches, removing microplastics and other debris with the help of a tool. Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that have entered the ecosystem as pollutants and, over time with sun or tide, break down. 

American conservationist Marc W. Ward, with his not-for-profit organization, is one of many who is influencing the process of clearing debris from the ocean and fostering environmental restoration. Ward developed a static charged filtration system. These systems are manually operated by two people. On a basic level it consists of two metal poles with a piece of polymer fabric fastened and draped between. With the tool laying flat, a top coat of sand is shoveled onto the polymer, and the operators raise the poles. They alternate between lifting and lowering their arms, slowly sifting the sands and creating a low level of static catching even the smallest of microplastics. From here you can dump the remains into a bucket or some form of collector, and you begin the process again.

Ward shipped me a filtration system, and guided me towards what Norwegian sites would work well with the tool—avoiding rocky beaches completely. He also generously shared tips on how to examine the beaches for best extraction based on water flow and point of land.

This process is evolving away from just the beaches of Oslo. It is entering new spheres including a transnational tour of the practice.