Do we become 'plasticophobic'?
Built with 18,000 plastic cups, the immersive installation 'Plastikophobia' it seeks precisely that: to introduce in the visitor a certain aversion to the use of this material.
Located in the Singapore Sustainable Gallery, at Marina Barrage, the work bears the artist's signature Benjamin Von Wong and impact strategist Laura A. Francois, both Canadians.
this luck of cosmic cave brought from the future to warn us about our present acts is three and a half meters high and the glasses are illuminated with LED lights, creating a most enigmatic environment.
#Plastikophobia: the initiative that aims to fight against the problem of plastic
PLASTIC PHOBIA
The #Plastikophobia strategy? "Using art to kick off research into the use of disposable plastic cups in Singapore, creating an immersive space to spread the feeling of 'plasticophobia'."
Von Wong was invited by the Canadian High Commission to present an exhibition at the Singapore Sustainable Gallery (SSG) and While he was talking with his friend Laura Francois, they came up with the idea of creating this new installation.
“Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) heard about our efforts and stepped in to help coordinate and facilitate the collection of single-use plastics throughout the country.” And that's where it all started.
18,000 plastic cups make up this cave whose objective is to raise awareness about the use of this material
With the help of the National Environment Agency, Benjamin and Laura collected 18,000 used plastic cups from twenty Hawker centers (a well-known local food stall) in Singapore, which they racked up in just a day and a half.
Within 10 days, they and a team of 75 volunteers were in charge of classifying, cleaning and melting the glasses.
Some of the vessels were partially burned with a blowtorch and they were glued on recycled wood panels with the help of Singapore-based Imaginator Studios.
'Plasticofobia', or what is the same, fear of plastic
THE EXHIBITION
The purpose of the exhibition is show the public the magnitude and seriousness of the plastic problem and is made up of two elements.
The first is the installation in the form of an interactive cave so that visitors can enter it and experience feelings of this new word that gives its name to the work: “plasticophobia”.
The second part is a photographic exhibition of Von Wong which features several series of the artist's environmental photography work, with titles such as Mermaids Hate Plastic, Truckload of Plastic and Strawpocalypse.
The Singapore Ministry of Environment and Water Resources has designated 2019 as the Year of Zero Waste.
2019, THE YEAR OF ZERO WASTE
The Singapore Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) has designated 2019 as 'Year Towards Zero Waste', with the aim of raising awareness of waste problems in Singapore.
The #Plastikophobia initiative marks the first large-scale international collaboration of the Singapore Sustainable Gallery and stays in line with Singapore's Zero Waste Year and World Wildlife Day, for which the 2019 theme is 'Life Below Water: For People and Planet'.
91% of single-use plastic is not recycled, because “Just because something goes in the recycle bin doesn't mean it's being recycled” they affirm from #Plastikophobia.
The exhibition can be visited until April 18
And it is that, according to The New York Times in May of last year, “Plastics and paper from dozens of American cities and towns are being dumped in landfills after China stopped recycling most so-called foreign garbage."
For this reason, when entering the #Plastikophobia website, we found that in his opinion, "the best solution, when possible, is become 'plasticophobic' and avoid the use of plastics when possible”.
The exhibition can be visited until April 18 at the Singapore Sustainable Gallery.
The best solution? "Becoming Plasticophobic"