The Faculty of Design at ARUCAD University recently organized a Robinson Crusoe Workshop at Balalan beach in the Karpaz area of North Cyprus (24th to 26th of April). The aim of the workshop was to stage a massive beach clean-up and utilize the trash collected for the design of a structure to raise awareness of sea pollution and the damage it causes to our environment.
Every year thousands of tons of garbage winds up in the Mediterranean Sea, with 60% of that being composed of plastic material.
The three-day workshop allowed for an intensive trash collection from the Balalan coastline, followed by a design and build session on site. ARUCAD students and staff alike, participated in the event and the final sculpture design evolved into a Totem Pole of symbols to communicate their concerns over environmental pollution. The final design of the Totem Pole sculpture was transported to Mehmetcik Village where it was greeted by the Mayor of Mehmetcik, Mr. Cemil Saricizmeli, and assembled in the Central Village Square.
The Totem Pole’s construction utilized an alarming 2% of the total amount of trash collected from the site. Each part aims to symbolize the student’s concerns raised during the event and create a narrative to communicate these concerns.
The base represents the plastic pollution of our oceans, seas and rivers. The shoes collected are used to symbolize the importance of our own footprints and the effect of them on Earth. The hour glass of discarded bottle tops aims to emphasize how time is running out for efforts to save the planet and the boat structure represents the main cause of trash being dumped into the sea and man’s interference to the planet’s bio diversity. The final head piece expresses angry concern over human destruction of the planet.
It is hoped that the sculpture will become a talking point and increase public consciousness of the effects of trash on the planet. The Design Faculty at ARUCAD hopes to see this event take place on an annual basis and that more participants will become involved in the process.
The Design Faculty at ARUCAD wishes to thank the Mayor of Mehmetcik, Mr. Cemil Saricizmeli, for his support and hospitality during the event and all of the participants for their hard work and efforts throughout the three-day workshop.
“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.” ~Cree Proverb
Text by Kim Bennett
Organizing committee: Kim Bennett, Balkız Yapıcıoğlu, Marko Keissel, Cem Yardımcı, Mila Cazacova; ARUCAD in collaboration with Mehmetcik Belediyesi.
Participants: Lale Dilbaş, Tijen Yakup, Mehves Beyidoğlu, Svetlena Turgut, Tülay Pirgalioğlu, Olga Sensoy, Maria Anvwari, Elin Yurtdaş, Svetlana Sukhechova, Chirawat Champakun, Vlada Matveeva, Hasan Özdoğru, Natalie Cazacova, Selin Derinok, Erna Yurtdaş, Simay Berberoğlu
m cem yardımcı 