ThosePlastic Treaty
Waste in work of art to combat plastic pollution
As part of the plastic conference on the United Nations, two artists add their voice to combat.
The artist and restaurateur of chandeliers Bertrand Cazenave exhibits more than 500 jellyfish in front of the Palais des Nations this Tuesday, August 5.
BERTRAND CAZENAVE
- More than 500 jellyfish in recycled lighting will float in front of the entrance to the Palais des Nations.
- The artist Bertrand Cazenave creates his jellyfish with recovered LED bulbs.
- A replica of Rodin’s “thinker” will be overwhelmed with plastic waste.
- A 3 -kilometer awareness ride will leave from the Palais des Nations.
You will probably have noticed if you have passed in the area: the “Broken ChairFrom the place of nations was a new ephemeral companion. Inspired by Rodin’s “thinker”, this statue that we owe to the artist and activist Benjamin von Wong is about to be flooded with plastic waste in the coming days. A way of symbolizing the inaction of governments on this scourge of the XXIe century, while Geneva welcomes the fifth session of negotiations for the Plastics Treaty today.
An event that also inspires a more local but just as committed artist, Bertrand Cazenave. The latter uses the same creative process as Benjamin von Wong, namely to use waste to sculpt a work. Thus, the Place des Nations will temporarily welcome on the day of August 5, hundreds of jellyfish created after the recovery of equipment.
Parade of jellyfish in Geneva
Example of jellyfish made by Bertrand Cazenave.
BERTRAND CAZENAVE
Tuesday morning, it is therefore more than 500 floating jellyfish of variable sizes, between 50 centimeters and 5 centimeters in diameter, built by hand by the artist and specialist in Swiss lighting Bertrand Cazenave, and exclusively made of recycled materials, which will be suspended from an installation next to the “Broken Chair”. “Fascinated by light”, Bertrand Cazenave has been working for years on the issue of reusable waste, both in his professional activity as in his artistic journey.
“I made jellyfish using LED bulbs and recycled electric wires,” he explains. I was led to recover thousands of worn bulbs but in perfect working order. It takes me, I don’t understand how we can throw things that still work. It is not because we are rich that we should not repair or restore what no longer works very well. I then recover a lot of these objects to reuse them for artistic purposes, it is a way of leading the fight against pollution. ”
These pretty jellyfish made of bulbs will be suspended next to the “Broken Chair”.
BERTRAND CAZENAVE
Originally a restaurateur of chandeliers, Bertrand Cazenave got a passion for sculpture by harvesting for his work all kinds of equipment, from bulbs to electric cables, passing by crystal, murano glasses, bottles of perfume and LEDs of Christmas garlands.
He first embarked on the manufacture of men using this bric-a-brac, then his passion directed him to the jellyfish. “It is a magnificent animal which is not a predator and which undergoes the pollution of the plastic in silence. This work is therefore a cry against pollution and single -use plastic, which is a real aberration for the environment. ”
To attend the installation of this work, go to 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 5 on the Place des Nations.
Benjamin von Wong’s “thinker”
“Turn off the Plastic Tap”, an artistic installation made of plastics created by Benjamin von Wong.
#TurnOffThePlasticTap © Von Wong Productions
Right next to the “Broken Chair”, the artist Benjamin von Wong also installed a monumental work. New habit of conferences for the climate after his giant tap spitting plastic in Nairobi and his “Janga of diversity” in Colombia, this time he produced a version of Rodin’s “thinker” using recycled materials. The latter will gradually be invaded by plastic waste in the coming days. A way of “symbolizing increasing, environmental and health costs, political inaction”. Artistically, this installation is a hell of a project.
“I coordinated a WhatsApp group made up of more than 100 volunteers to come and work the plastic with me: wash the bottles, decapsulate them, holes the packaging …, describes Benjamin von Wong. Moreover, all the plastic we use is Swiss, it comes from the mountains, from Geneva and Zurich, it is therefore a 100% local work. I have been on this project for more than four months now. ” The inauguration of this work supported in particular by the city and the canton of Geneva will take place on August 7 at 6:30 p.m.
The “thinker” of Benjamin von Wong is already installed in front of the “Broken Chair”.
Laurent Guiraud/Tamedia
It was said above, Benjamin von Wong is not at his first test in terms of monumental installation to raise awareness of plastic pollution. This 38 -year -old Canadian also pointed out in 2019 with his work “Strawpocalypse”, welcomed by Vietnam, and made up of 168,000 plastic straws.
Sad reminder: in the United States, between 170 and 390 million straws are used every day, according to rigorous studies of the Plastic Pollution Coalition organization. After first efforts by the Biden administration to limit this use, Donald Trump had suddenly returned to the start of his second term last February.
Sensitized stroll to the question of plastic pollution
During negotiations, activities open to curious people wishing to be better aware of the question of plastic pollution. Beyond the very scientific aspects of these meetings, conferences or activities, a small stroll fought our curiosity. 3 kilometers long, walking will leave from the Palais des Nations on August 7 at 7 a.m.
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