Plastic Islands

Watch an artist transform 15,000 banned plastic straws into a stunning installation at the Sydney Opera House.
Libby Curran
August 16, 2018

Overview

Sydney has embraced the fight against single-use plastic straws with a vengeance, with venues across the city making massive dents in their plastic waste outputs. For example, in a move that's expected to save a whopping 2.2 million straws from hitting landfill annually, all six of the Sydney Opera House's restaurants became plastic straw-free on August 1.

But what about all those plastic tubes that never made it to a glass? Well, the 15,000 straws the Opera House has left over will be put to use in another way — one that's much more creative. They'll be crafted by experimental visual artist Francesca Pasquali into a striking large-scale sculpture, titled Plastic Islands.

She'll create the work live on Sunday, September 2, as part of Antidote 2018, Sydney's weekend-long festival of ideas, action and change.

The thought-provoking piece will reimagine the shapes of Sydney Harbour dotted with clusters of clear plastic straws, urging the audience to contemplate the impacts of single-use plastic on the planet.

Watch Pasquali's work unfold live in the Drama Theatre Foyer from 10am–4pm, before it's displayed publicly in The Lounge from September 17–October 10.

Information

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