Involuntary Pairs: Man-made lost in Nature

Involuntary Pairs: Man-made lost in Nature

HK Maritime Museum
Central Pier No.8
Monday – Friday from 09:30 – 17:30
Saturday, Sunday from 10:00 – 19:00

extended until 21st March 2021 

Involuntary Pairs is a collection of marine plastic artefacts and natural specimens, picked up from beaches bordering the South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Andaman Sea and Bali Sea. The collection of over 300 individual specimens was curated over the course of seven years by German artist liina klauss. 

Each man-made object is matched with an item found in nature to form an Involuntary Pair: the two objects look alike, yet one is natural, the other originates from human manufacturing. With reference to the botanical system of taxonomy, which was used in the 18th century to bring order to the natural world, liina organizes her findings in a classification system of assumed equality.

liina started to notice the similarity of marine plastics and natural specimens when doing beach clean-ups away from the popular beaches that are regularly cleaned. Among the vast amounts of marine debris, the pairs were often found next to each other. This phenomenon turns out to be caused by a natural law: Things with similar shape, surface texture and buoyancy are treated equally by forces of nature; winds blow them in the same direction, currents and waves carry them to the same beach and they get washed ashore next to each other. These conditions can cause dozens of similar pairs ending up in the same place.

Involuntary Pairs mirror the current environmental crisis and its consequences: mismanaged plastics are merging with nature to the point of inseparability. Despite the omnipresence of plastics in every-day life and its global distribution, the full implications are just starting to be acknowledged and researched.

What we do to nature, we ultimately are doing to ourselves. Latest research confirms that toxins of polymers are not only found in the global ecosphere but also inside human bodies. 

Botanical taxonomy has as a prerequisite the idea of nature existing separately from humans. Involuntary Pairs shows that these borders are getting blurry, that the concept of human isolation is losing its ground. The story of separation that has been upheld for the past centuries has culminated in the current environmental crisis. The believed narrative of human as not part of nature has led to exploitation, destruction and ecocide.

Ultimately there is no separation. The moment we rediscover our connection with nature again, we start to reverse the crisis. 

There is a card game accompanying this exhibition. To order please go >>> here 

Involuntary Pairs: Man-made lost in Nature

HK Maritime Museum
Central Pier No.8
Monday – Friday from 09:30 – 17:30
Saturday, Sunday from 10:00 – 19:00

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extended until 21st March 2021 

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more updates on facebook and IG

update!

I’m immensely grateful and proud of our team Moritz Stefaner (data visualization) & Skye Morèt (marine scientist & artist) and myself to have won the data visualization track for National Geographic’s Ocean Plastic Challenge. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped and believed in us and our crazy vision to make a tangible data-sculpture out of thousands of pieces of marine debris. It seams impossible until it's done!
The images and more details will be published in NatGeo magazine soon. This stunning shot below is by Lawrence Cowell (@el_influenza / Instagram) .



O-ton from National Geographic Society: "We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge! Congratulations to @algramo @qwarzo and @PerpetualPlastic. The winners were chosen out of 291 teams, and their projects tackle the plastic issue from three different tracks: design, data visualization and circular economy. Photo: The #PerpetualPlastic team creates physical data sculptures out of waste washed up on Bali’s beaches that represent the paths and fate of all plastics ever produced."

Skye and myself while building #PerpetualPlastic within 24h

AND THERE IS MORE GREAT NEWS TO COME: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I HAVE A GREAT NEW WEBSITE!  CLICK HERE TO HAVE A LOOK! 
My website was created by this talented designer & photographer and great friend: teschka! 

Teresa Schebiella also takes great photos! Check out her eye candy here!

“Beyond Plastic”

I want to share some photos of “Beyond Plastic”exhibition in Hong Kong earlier this year. To be invited to contribute an installation to the prestigious Heritage1881 building, one of the most famous heritage buildings in Hong Kong, shows the importance and concern that cultural institutions, brands and the public are now placing on marine pollution. 

Driven by concern and love for the ocean environmental artist Liina Klauss joins hands with Plastic-Free-Seas foundation and sponsor Breguet. “Beyond Plastic: Breguet, the Marine Explorer” showcases an array of artworks with deep connection to marine. The spotlight falls on the large-scale installation created by German artist Liina Klauss consisting of well over 10.000 pieces of marine litter collected on Hong Kongs shores. The installation is shown at the former Marine Police Headquaters at Heritage1881 and is open for public viewing on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of March 2019. 

About Race for Water, a Foundation to Preserve Water 

The Race for Water Foundation is an organization dedicated to water preservation and the ocean in particular. This indispensable resource is under massive threat from plastic pollution and must be protected. The Foundation aims to identify, promote and implement solutions that will give end-of-life plastic a value and create new sources of income for the people most affected by pollution. Using this innovative approach inspired by the principles of a circular economy and social entrepreneurship, Race for Water Foundation seeks to prevent plastic litter from reaching waterways and leaking all the way down to the ocean. 

About Liina Klauss 

Liina Klauss is a German artist living in Hong Kong specialized in environmental art. Her installations and paintings are inspired by nature using man-made and natural waste as art material. Through her works she hopes to raise awareness for the threatening impact we humans have on nature.

About Plastic Free Seas 
Plastic Free Sea’s mission is to provide education free of charge to students on plastic marine pollution, focusing on the causes, effects and solutions. PFS is a leader in marine-focused education in Hong Kong, and to date, the charity has had a presence in more than 125 schools and has reached over 48,000 students and teachers with school talks, beach cleanups, a swimming classroom boat programme and youth conferences.

About Breguet 

Breguet, established since 1775, embodies watchmaking excellence and forms part of the European cultural heritage, brimming with history. From the start, Breguet has woven close ties with science and astronomy. Breguet takes pride in offering exceptional models, such as the Marine É quation Marchante 5887, a Grande Complication model that marks the start of a new era for the contemporary Marine collection.

My gratitude goes out to the main sponsor Breguet: Thank you for sharing my passion for the ocean and investing into rasing awareness for ocean pollution! Another big thanks to What-If events for believing in me and to Plastic Free Seas and all volunteers for helping me to realise this large-scale project! 

Photo credit: Teschka
More photos can be viewed here

Potato Head meets Art Activist liina klauss

Potato Head and Art Activist Liina Klauss Draw Attention To Ocean Plastics with an Installation of Salvaged Flip-Flops

The large-scale artwork launches Saturday, 19 May at the entrance to Potato Head Beach Club

This May, Potato Head will shed light on the ecological harm caused by the world’s most ubiquitous form of footwear: the flip-flop. Millions of pairs of the synthetic shoe wash ashore around the globe each year, and as a brand surrounded by paradisal beaches, Potato Head is determined to draw attention to the serious issue of ocean plastics through a colourful installation of salvaged sandals.

In its ongoing mission to ‘provide good times and do good in the world,’ Potato Head has teamed up with award-winning German art activist Liina Klauss to demonstrate the reality of marine pollution. The artist has created a large-scale installation constructed from over 5,000 plastic flip-flops, all picked up along the shores of Bali’s west coast. Klauss and a small team of helpers amassed the large volume of shoes in a series of six beach clean-ups, while the artwork itself took weeks to build.

“I want to show people a different perspective on what we consider ‘rubbish,’” says Klauss. “Everything we throw away comes back to us (via the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we grow crops and raise animals on). Flip-flops are just one example; there is potential within all these materials we waste and consider worthless."

To realise this project—a rainbow-hued structure that takes the shape of an ocean wave—Klauss collaborated with two Ubud, Bali-based initiatives. Multi-disciplinary firm IBUKU designed and built the frame from sustainably harvested bamboo, while POTATO HEAD FAMILY Jl. Pantai Pererenan No.149 Pererenan, Bali +62 361 907 8108 the Innovation Lab at Green School supplied a ‘thread’ made entirely from melted- down plastic bottle caps for which to attach the sandals.

The work is installed at the entrance to Potato Head Beach Club from 19 May and on view throughout the 2019 summer season. 

The Universal Sea: Pure or Plastic?!

The Universal Sea – Pure or Plastic?! is a collaboration model between art, science, technology and business. Together with the public The Universal Sea aims to build a strong network of innovators and change-makers getting as many as 1 million people involved finding creative solutions that fight the plastic epidemic.

The Universal Sea is EU co-funded and links scientific findings with artistic creations offering a new perspective on the pressing issue of marine pollution. The exhibition includes the artworks of the Top 5 finalists of the worldwide open-call as well as the Top 100 artistic proposals. Moreover there will be co-creation workshops, talks, panel discussions and hands-on workshops with the artists.



April 22- June 10 Oronsko, Poland hosted by Center of Polish Sculpture Address: Centre for Polish Sculpture, Topolowa 1, 26-505 Orońsko, Poland

Opening hours: Tue-Fri 10.00 – 17.00, Sat-Sun 10.00 – 18.00

June 5-6, 2018 Helsinki, Finland hosted by Design Factory/ Aalto University

June 9-10, 2018 – Pristina, Kosovo hosted by Doku:TECH

June 21-22, 2018 – Amsterdam, the Netherlands hosted by We Make The City Festival

September 13-14, 2018 – Barcelona, Spain hosted by CCCB (tbc)

September 20-21, 2018 – Venice, Italy, UNESCO Palazzo Zorzi

October 6-7, 2018 – Berlin, Germany hosted by Entrepreneurship Summit

October 1-30, 2018 – Budapest, Hungary, THE UNIVERSAL SEA FESTIVAL hosted by Hybridart Management

I will be present at Barcelona, Venice, Berlin and Budapest as a speaker and workshop facilitator. It would be amazing to see you in one of these cities!

please ♥️

Today is the LAST DAY to ♥️ my artwork at 

http://universal-sea.org/top-100-artworks  

to enter the finalists in The Universal Sea: Pure or Plastic? exhibition opening in Budapest this fall. Simply click the rainbow coloured link above and "like" Broken Dream No.1

O

my garden in bali

green lushness overflowing

bearing fruit

dripping with abundance.

it all comes back to soil. to darkness. 

the kingdom underneath my feet 

you hold me

you always held me

you will forever hold me.

without words. without wanting. without return.

soil. ground. dirt. 

your truth is so much bigger than all our concepts.

may we become empty to see your eternal circles.

wishing you a abundant new year!  gung hei fat shoi!  selamat tahun baru! gesundes neues!

x O x