Women in Art 278 Magazine October 2014 | Page 63

community art projects by eco art installations More than 100 artists and local villagers joined together to upcycle trash into an art installation at the Bamboo Centre in Auroville, India in March 2014. The message for the art installation was “Trash is valuable - it’s treasure.” In an effort to bring awareness to waste created by companies and people, the collaborative art installation comprised of a giant bamboo geodesic dome, a kolam and a mandala of dancing children. Shoes, telephones, clocks cans and tires were among the discarded items that were transformed through upcycling to create the art installation. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that less than 10 percent of plastic produced is recycled and is lower in developing countries - leaving many communities across the globe plagued with an overwhelming amount of nonbiodegradable waste. Empowering communities through artistic expression, collaboration, raising ecological awareness w [B