Non-profit group turns beach trash into top-notch art

Marine pollution is a massive global dilemma, and some coastal communities fight a never-ending battle to stop the tide of trash washing ashore. In Oregon, there's a non-profit organization that collects discarded materials from beaches and turns them into giant sculptures of aquatic animals.

According to Washed Ashore, ninety percent of the waste they collect is petroleum-based, mostly plastic debris, and they are able to convert ninety-eight percent of this junk into art. A walk-through replica of an ocean gyre; a styrofoam coral reef; a giant fish; a plastic bottle sea jelly; and an oil-spill replica are just some of the pieces they have exhibited in various zoos and aquariums around the U.S.

Check out the video below to learn more about their creative process.

Comments

Poshichi's Digital Take on Nihonga

Using digital tools, Poshichi makes nihonga-style pictures of everyday life. These images can be anywhere from funny to calm, thoughtful, imaginative, or even a bit wild. It's a wonderful harmony: the past rendered perfectly in the present. Nihonga is basically Japanese painting that gets its look from using mineral pigments (and sometimes ink) on surfaces like silk or paper. The term was created back in the Meiji period (1868–1912) just so people could tell it apart from Yōga, which is what they called Western-style painting. Art was everywhere in Poshichi's childhood: the grandfather ran a framing shop, and the grandma was an art teacher. Poshichi loved to draw, and was destined for an art career. But, you know how it goes—life had other plans. Thankfully, a friend encouraged the Japanese artist not to quit drawing, even if just as a hobby. Though Poshichi initially created dark, gloomy pieces due to depression, adopting a cat two years ago changed everything. “I felt the nee...

The Unseen Emotional Landscape

I'm currently obsessed with Pon Arsher . Her paintings are like a stylish cage fight between realism and abstraction, and every human figure seems to be nursing a perfectly haunting and beautiful existential hangover. On my computer, it's cool. But I want to see the real deal. The internet is probably the greatest gallery humanity has ever created. But sometimes, a piece of art leaps off the screen and refuses to be contained by your monitor. Anyway, when she was young, the self-taught Moldovan artist found drawing in silence more fulfilling than socializing. But she wasn't avoiding life; she was capturing it. Drawing wasn't an escape from friends, but an intense conversation with the most essential, silent part of her soul. Her art looks like an emotional x-ray, and it lulls me into a dream state. It's also a reminder, for herself and viewers, that our feelings—even the bad ones—are valid. Ms. Arsher proves that art only needs an authentic voice and the courage to ...

This Outdoor Library is Pure Magic

The Seoul Outdoor Library is an open-air oasis of literature . It serves as a relaxed retreat for office workers during the week and transforms into a family reading haven on the weekends. Instead of walls or the hushed whispers enforced by traditional libraries, visitors find fresh air, colorful beanbags, and the rustle of leaves, creating a unique reading soundtrack. However, the space offers more than just books. Visitors can also catch movies and live performances under the open sky while children enjoy a dedicated play zone. And when the summer sun decides to be a relentless monster? The library just shrugs, says "Challenge accepted," and switches to "night-library" mode. Here, you can relax under soft, ambient lights and enjoy a perfect, cool-breeze read after the city has settled down. I really like this idea. In an open-air setting, you can sip your iced latte, shift around without worrying about squeaky chairs, and if you talk a little too loud, no one giv...

finding cain

Search This Blog