Trashlantis

Trashlantis is a mobile performance & kinetic sculpture, a backdrop for deep, meaningful conversations with people about the myth of recycling and the hazards of living in a "plastisphere." We won this year's Kinetic Grand Championship in Humboldt Country, California.

Trashlantis tells a story ripped from today's headlines: plastic is creating brand-new ecosystems in the oceans. Trashlanteans are strange half-human, half-fish and half-trash beings from an ancient oceanic civilization. They comb the beaches and byways, sidewalks and highways for more plastic to build a Trashlantean civilization. They offer humans a chance to explore their relationship to this amazing material– and maybe even provide a splash of hope to those who are already working towards a toxin and trash free future.

What inspired you to make this project?:
It's the ultimate "What if..?" question: will plastic in the environment cause profound changes in humans? Rather than run in fear from the idea we embrace the unknown and craft a reality in which humanoid fish creatures thrive in the plastic soup that is the Great Pacific Gyre.

Also presenting at:

Trashlantis and Bad Environmentalism

Bob van de Walle will describe how his team of artists, engineers and athletes create Trashlantis, a human-powered kinetic sculpture they used as a platform to invite ire and conversation about microplastic pollution.