Throwaway culture : home Garbage plus imagination equals art
 Youngzoom On Garbage: Raising awareness on a social issue through a creative medium |
Vast/TCC Exhibition27 August, 2010 – It is a rare combination: garbage and art.
While the capital city grapples with an ever increasing garbage issue, city corporation officials and artists from VAST showcased just what could be done with some of it.
From a mixture of papers, plastics, cartons, bottles and other garbage, they have crafted an eight foot giant. Similarly, a domed structure, resembling an igloo, was made, using plastics, cartons, empty beer cans and wires.
A tower, nearly the height of the clock tower, was also erected with a wooden pole and pet bottles. Even discarded discs were not spared, as they were turned into wind chimes.
Vouchers cards and cigarette covers that people carelessly throw along the streets were accumulated to send a message. While hundreds of cigarette covers were used to make a giant human palm, voucher cards in their thousands were stapled into a ball the size of a gym ball, representative of the earth. A message: “The world in the hand of trash” was neatly pasted on the floor beside the art.
The marketing officer Pema Tshering of Greener Way, a recycling company, showed alternative uses of old shoes and slippers, which were filled with soil and planted with flowers.
Trongsa Penlop library came up with handbags of different shapes, sizes and designs made from plastic and paper.
“Youngzoom on Garbage is an initiative taken by the Vast Bhutan and Thimphu city corporation (TCC) to engage young people to tackle some of the garbage issues and ultimately contribute to society through artistic endeavours,” the founder of VAST Kama Wangdi said.
Thimphu primary school principal Carolyn Tshering said her students collected plastic bottles from their homes and its vicinities and brought them to school every Friday since 2007.
“We collect around 3,000 pet bottles every Friday,” she said. “Within the last four years, we’ve collected over 100,000 bottles.”
The bottles were then given to Greener Way, who then transported them to India, where they were recycled.
Bhutan Foundation funded about Nu 250,000 for the program.
Youngzoom on Garbage, an art festival organised by Vast and Thimphu city corporation at the clock tower yesterday, saw government organisations, private schools and private companies participating in the programme, displaying their creative art made of garbage.
Source: kuenselonline