The environmental art installation pla pla! plastik und plankton aims to draw attention to the immense consumption of plastic and the associated consequences for our water ecosystem.
pla pla! plastik und plankton is a whale made of wood and plastic waste; a walk-in installation in which visitors can learn about the consequences of man-made water pollution. Visitors enter the whale’s interior through its mouth. There they find an exhibition space in which they are introduced to the topic by means of various focal points.
Sound installation
To make the exhibition accessible and tangible for blind people, I produced a sound installation. I drove through Berlin with a recording device, recorded sounds with other artists in a recording studio and mixed everything together to create a sound installation. You can listen to the result here.
The dream
I dreamed of the whale a few years ago and was given the opportunity to bring this dream to life thanks to a grant from the Stiftung Naturschutz Berlin.
The whale first stood in front of the Bundestag in Berlin in 2019 and then traveled through Germany: Berlin various locations 2020, BUGA Erfurt 2022, Dornstadt Orchard Festival 2023, State Center for Renewable Energies 2022 – 2024
The Vision
plapla! The floating whale + FestiWAL
The whale is currently in the depths of the sea and will not be exhibited for the time being. For some time now, I have been working on a vision that I saw on the water in Berlin Stralau: A floating transformation laboratory in the shape of a whale.
/ Whales are herd animals and have been living on planet Earth for over 50 million years. They have developed a culture that takes place within the planetary boundaries. We can learn a lot from them. We also need images and ideas about where the journey towards sustainable development should take us and what it means to live in harmony with water.
/ The plan is to build a solar-powered raft with an electric motor in the shape of a ten-metre-long whale called plapla!the floating whale, and anchor it in the region. This is to be used as an open space and a platform by the region’s actors, where educational events and activities ranging from guided tours to lectures and workshops as well as concerts, dance performances, theater and film can take place.
/ plapla! the floating whale is a floating transformation laboratory that uses the example of water to make connections and their cross-references visible and tangible by integrating the participation of various actors into the design process. A mobile, organic learning and exhibition space that takes visitors, young and old alike, on a journey into the future.
/ Specifically into the year 2050.
We look back and experience how we have implemented a transformation. This conveys positive images and ideas that can promote self-efficacy. Transformative learning formats, such as telling positive narratives, changing perspectives and developing one’s own ideas, are, in addition to art and ideas are some of the communication media used alongside art and experimental objects. We experience what a sustainable water culture could look like and how it could be lived.
The idea won second place at Ocean Future Lab 2023. Unfortunately, implementation has so far failed due to funding. I have an elaborate concept that I would be happy to present if you are interested.