Livegreen Blog
Tree covered with plastic bags to raise environmental awareness
by Christiane Burklein on Tuesday, 3rd January 2012 in Design
According to PlasticsEurope, the European trade association for plastic manufacturers, approximately 265 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, many of which serve as packaging. Despite current recycling efforts, much of this plastic will end up in landfills and nature, creating islands of floating waste in rivers and oceans and harming animals unfortunate enough to swallow it or become ensnared in it.
With his latest piece of street art entitled “The Rise of the Fall,” Slovenian artist Miha Artnak hopes to raise awareness on the harmful effects of consumer culture on the natural world. He has decorated the branches of a living tree with hundreds of brightly-colored plastic bags, which easily catch the eye of passers-by.
The installation shows nature being literally overcome by human wastefulness and carelessness, urging the public to consider the consequences of our consumerist lifestyles. Plastic bags are a recurring medium throughout Artnak’s work.
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