upcycling product design
Created from more than 200 plastic laundry bags, this installation features a giant octopus over 7 meters long. These bags are large and sturdy, yet they are often used only once, which is a tremendous waste! Our production team visited various neighbourhoods in Hong Kong to collect these bags. By fusing them together with an iron and blowing air through a fan, we transformed them into a lifelike octopus and heres the process.
Global plastic production reaches a staggering 400 million tons annually, and in Hong Kong alone, daily plastic bag waste totaled up to 878 tons, accounting for over 37% of the city’s plastic waste (Source: “Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong - Waste Statistics for 2022*). According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, at least 14 million tons of plastic waste enters our oceans each year, representing about 80% of all marine debris and posing a significant threat to marine ecosystems.
In recent years, marine biologists have discovered that one of the smartest invertebrates in the ocean— the octopus-has begun using human-generated trash to construct their homes. Perhaps we can draw some insights from this ocean dweller and rethink our perceptions of “waste.”
Creative Summer Festival ( 10-18 August/ 1pm to 6pm/ Courtyard & Marketplace, PMQ, Central)
這件作品是一隻超過七米長的巨型八爪魚，由二百多個從洗衣店回收的膠袋製作而成。這種洗衣店膠袋的容量大、材質堅固，大部分卻只用一次，實在太浪費！我們的製作團隊走訪了港九各區收集膠袋，用熨斗接駁造型，加風扇一吹，就立即變身成為一隻栩栩如生的八爪魚了！
全球每年的塑膠生產高達4億噸，香港每日膠袋垃圾則多達878噸，佔每日塑膠垃圾逾37%（資料來源：《2022年香港都市固體廢物監察報告》）。根據世界自然保育聯盟資料顯示，全球每年最少1,400萬噸塑膠垃圾流入海洋，佔全部海洋垃圾約八成，正威脅海洋生態環境。
近年海洋生物學家發現，在海洋生態中最聰明的無脊椎動物—八爪魚，開始使用人類的垃圾建築牠們的窩居。也許我們可以從這位海洋朋友身上，得到一些新啟發，對「垃圾」有多些新想像？
童創節 (2024年8月10至18日/下午1時至6時/ 中環元創方地面廣場)