The power of one person may be small, but the power of a group of people united and moving towards a common goal is quite amazing! Photographer Benjamin Von Wong is an expert in turning ideas into meaningful plans. "Mermaids Hate Plastic" is a beautiful but cruel photography series that gathered the efforts of everyone to complete.
To interpret the "hard" issue of plastic pollution, Von Wong chose an eye-catching and energetic presentation method - a mermaid sea of ??10,000 plastic bottles. This number is not chosen arbitrarily, but if a person uses 167 plastic bottles a year, by the time he reaches the age of sixty, he will have almost "contributed" to such a sea of ??plastic!
The toxins from plastic products will not only pollute the oceans and water sources, but even the air will not escape this catastrophe. Therefore, Von Wong invited models to dress up as mermaids and "swim" through the sea of ??plastic to remind everyone that they are throwing it away. What a huge impact it will have.
Of course, to arrange such a magnificent photography scene, it was impossible for the artist alone to do it. He asked the waste treatment center Tomra to provide tens of thousands of plastic bottles for free, and gathered them through social media and local news. A team of volunteers came to help remove bottle labels, and previous client Power Dekor lent him a weeks worth of filming in a large warehouse.
As for the story of the mermaid, Von Wong’s sister’s wedding dress designer Cynthia Brault was invited to describe it. After all this preliminary work, Von Wong and local artist Allison Blue spent a full day laying out the various bottle color combinations. After the ocean decoration is completed, the mermaid Clara, who has already painted her body, can jump into the "water"!
The final visual effect is quite strong, profoundly expressing environmental issues and making us rethink our daily habits. In the process, everyones concerted action for an ideal goal is actually the most valuable part of the entire project. As Von Wong said: "When many individuals come together because of a goal they deeply believe in, they work together. Strive and change will happen."
If you also want to join their ranks, you can sign #MermaidsHatePlastic and pledge to purchase non-disposable products to express your determination to protect the environment to governments and companies around the world. In addition, you can also take practical actions, use environmentally friendly cups, and convey the impact of plastic pollution to your relatives and friends to save this endangered earth before its too late!
