The Waste to Art Expo, created by Grade 6 and 7 students, on show at the Cape Town Civic Centre, speaks to the theme of this year’s Festive Lights Switch-On: Cape Town – City of Hope
The saying “one man’s waste is another’s treasure”, was proven at the opening of this new public exhibition that demonstrates how waste can be turned into beautiful and meaningful art that promotes the all-important message of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
In attendance at the opening were the 40 students and their teachers responsible for the imaginative creations from
- Cecil Road Primary,
- Dryden Primary
- Wesley Primary and
- St Paul’s Primary.
‘It’s wonderful to be here at the opening of the Waste to Art exhibition where school kids have turned waste from the streets of Cape Town into these incredible works of art. In our #SpringCleanCT Campaign we are working to change behaviour around littering. Nothing should become litter, and waste can be turned into something special,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The Waste to Art project forms part of the City’s annual Festive Lights Switch-On event. It is a valuable opportunity to engage young minds through creative mediums to understand the importance of climate change, excess consumerism, and the necessity of maintaining a clean environment for all – nature and the humans and animals who inhabit the earth.
In 2022, the project was done in conjunction with the City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate, whose Let’s Act
The Waste Aquarium
#SpringcleanCT campaign promotes an anti-litter culture and encourages all citizens to clean up their act and help others clean up theirs.
The works on show include an Aquarium made from recycled bottles – a timely reminder that our oceans and aquatic life require the space to breathe. Our oceans are where most of the oxygen we breathe originates. Other artworks on display are a feast of flowers from old paper; a 3-D depiction of Cape Town itself complete with the stadium, Table Mountain, paragliders and the sea; a Nike sneaker Combi reminiscent of the carefree summers of our youth in years gone by and a colourful traditional dwelling complete with recycling bins that remind us wherever we are – rural or urban – we need to look after what we put back into the earth.
The Waste to Art Expo is open at the Civic Centre until 13 January 2023 and is a must see for hope of the future,
WHAT: Waste to Art Expo
WHERE: Cape Town Civic Centre, 12 Hertzog Blvd, Foreshore, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: until 13 January 2023
See also Cape Town Green Map
