Trash Animals is a series of artworks that aims to draw attention to a current problem that is likely to be forgotten, become trivial or a necessary evil. The problem involves waste production, materials that are not reused, pollution and its effect on the planet. The idea is to depict nature itself, in this case animals, out of materials that are responsible for its destruction.
These works are built with end-of-life materials: the majority found in wastelands, abandoned factories or randomly and some are obtained from companies that are going through a recycling process. Damaged bumpers, burnt garbage cans, tires and appliances are just some of the objects that can be identified when you go into detail. They are camouflaging the result of our habits with little ecological and social awareness.
In response to the estimated 150 million tons of plastic trash currently in the ocean, Brooklyn-based architecture and design firm StudioKCA has created an incredible installation for the Bruges Triennial. Skyscraper (the Bruges Whale) is a 38-foot-tall whale fabricated from 5 tons of plastic waste fished from the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. As a stunning commentary on our current environmental state, the sculpture is a powerful reminder of what we are pumping into our oceans.