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Climate Crisis -Von Wong
Canadian Artist Von Wong Is Making the Climate Crisis Unforgettable
RAYE MOCIOIU
Art is communication; it allows people from all across the globe to communicate with each other via images, sounds, and stories, shaping the lives and opinions of individuals whose paths may never cross. Art, as well, is a powerful tool for social change,
making a statement that rouses emotions and rallies cries for change in those who encounter it.
Single-use plastic consumption increased by 250-300 percent during the pandemic, a jarring figure pointing to just how much harmful plastic is used and thrown away.
Canadian artist Benjamin
Von Wong, an activist who is always looking for unique ways to bring attention to traditionally “boring” topics, has become known for creating shocking and awe-inspiring art installations. His work has been featured in magazines, digital publications, and has set records for most materials used to create his installations. In 2021, Von Wong partnered with the Embassy of Canada in France to create a three-story-tall structure called #TurnOffThePlasticTap, a giant faucet leaking plastics into different settings, raising awareness of the dangers of plastic overconsumption.
In a case study introducing this installation and sharing the inspiration behind it, Von Wong shared: “I’ve created campaigns from 168,000 plastic straws, 18,000 plastic cups, and 10,000 plastic bottles. But those projects only raised awareness for individual objects and never pointed to the root cause of the problem: Plastic production. This was my chance to create more than a piece of
art. It was my chance to create a symbol inviting the world to #TurnOffThePlasticTap.”
#TURNOFFTHEPLASTICTAP © VON WONG
A PLASTIC TAKEOVER A project of this magnitude and messaging required an open mind and a creative approach to recycling, pulling unconventional materials from equally unconventional sources.
“I wanted to embody the spirit of reuse for this entire project. That meant finding folks that believed in the same,” said Von Wong. “The kind folks at Delsan-Aim provided us with access to a building that was about to be demolished so that we could scavenge pieces of ventilation duct to bring our art installation to life.”
Von Wong and his team collected hundreds of pounds of galvanized steel ventilation ducts in different shapes and sizes. It was then cut, painted, and adapted to fit a manual forklift.
Once the faucet was complete, Von Wong and his team took to the city to create visually striking depictions of exactly how
plastic overconsumption was destroying our planet.
One of their locations, Quebec’s Oka Beach, provided the perfect setting for creating impactful imagery. The artist positioned a team of dancers to create a visual representation of drowning in plastic, and the faucet was set up as close to the water as possible, making a very literal statement about how plastic is polluting the ocean.
We are constantly surrounded by so much plastic that it’s hard to imagine something as simple as a beach utterly free of waste or even leaving a supermarket without any pre-packaged items.
“With more than a truckload of plastic flowing into the ocean every 60 seconds, we need to take our heads out of the sand and start looking beyond beach cleanups,” Von Wong said. “If we don’t do anything about it, it is my nephew’s generation, and every generation after that will have to live with the consequences. Unless we start by turning off the plastic tap, the problem will only worsen—regardless of how many cleanups we perform!”
