For cleaner seas
The idea for this project was born while following the Volvo Ocean Race which is sailing's biggest offshore race. During the nine month race on four oceans the sailors have experienced how dirty our seas are far from the public eye.
Skipper Charlie Enright:
“This is my first Volvo Ocean Race and I’ve been shocked by the amount of plastic debris seen throughout the first seven legs of the nine-leg race.”
Skipper Bouwe Bekking:
“Plastic, plastic, plastic…it doesn’t matter where you point. We sailors agree: the ocean is being overwhelmed by plastics and other debris even in the most remote spots, and it needs to be cleaned up.”
Scientific studies claim, that there could be one ton of plastic in the oceans for every three tonnes of fish by 2025.
My idea then was to create something from water to remind us of how vulnerable our oceans are.
While locking for an appropriate canvas I started off using a high gloss surface but it turned out to be a big mistake. Half way through the drawing the water became alive and moved on its own in all directions.
Now I was looking for a rougher surface and decided to use a chopping board made of corian. I sanded out all the marks made by knifes and found the perfect canvas. The water was now better to handle and would not move on its own.
That said, the next problem was not far. Painfully I had to discover there was no eraser. First I applied a blob of water with a syringe and than carefully created the shape with a cotton swab or toothpick but once a part of the surface was wet and I discovered it was wrong, there was no way to correct the error without destroying the whole continent. So for some continents it took me 3 to 4 attempts to make them at least recognisable.
I know it would not land me a job as an cartographer but this was not the intention in the first place.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I did making them.
