For his Melted Plastic series Shanabrook seeks out hard plastic objects from popular culture including action figures, plastic cd cases, bright colored lighters, ballpoint pens, toy guns, and even telephones. Generally assumed to be throwaway objects, Shanabrook selected them particularly for their vivid color and durability. He subjects them to extensive repetitious heating, squashing, and cooling, and through these acts of recycling and transformation expose the contradictions of the grotesque and the beautiful.