Tyrone Probert
May 31, 20222 min
Updated: May 17, 2023
‘Beach plastics suck’ – A new sculpture made from recycled ocean plastics, wood and bio-resin collected from my beach cleans. I’ve been working on this behind the scenes since lockdown. Now I’ve made my ‘Oceana plant pot’ made from recycled ocean plastics I have had the headspace to finish this sculpture.
Inspired by my road trip to France and Spain and hanging out on beaches I saw a kid drop her lolly. She burst into tears at the loss and I wondered how we will react generations from now when we see the massive ball/lolly we are dropping by not looking after our oceans and planet.
Ocean Plastics Suck Sculpture made from recycled ocean plastics, wood and bio-resin
‘Ocean Plastics Suck’ Sculpture made from recycled ocean plastics, wood and bio-resin
Immediately the sculpture also reminds us of the devasting effects of climate change with the lolly looking like it’s melting. I wanted to create an iconic and memorable image to grab attention and remind us of the fragility of life on this planet. With all my work whether it’s the design of my Ocean Plastic plant pots or these sculptures, I hope to create memorable pieces that start conversations and amplify environmental messages without preaching or being too heavy. It is an important conversation but if we are to speak to the masses I feel that playfulness is a way in. I want people to fall in love with nature and protect it rather than guilting them into any action.
Ocean Plastics Suck Sculpture proposal made from recycled ocean plastics, wood and bio-resin. The sculpture is in the shape of a ice-cream lolly as if its dropped and melting on the floor
The sculpture is approximately 38cm high x 48cm wide. My dream is to make these sculptures at a much larger size utilising the collected trash from coastal cities. It would be great to work with schools, NGOs and charities to raise awareness of our environment, plastic recycling and materials want to do beach and harbour cleans with the community and then use the very trash collected collectively to make a giant sculpture to raise awareness.
UPDATE: Super excited to have been featured by @realpreciousplastic on their Instagram account with nearly 94 000 followers. They have been a big inspiration for many years. I have also received a few commissions from interested people which has been fantastic. Thank you for the support!