You can be a part of this evolving series of sculptures! It is intended to educate about the impact our plastic has on our water with a goal to raise funds to help organizations actively helping wildlife and cleaning our waterways. An easy way to help is to purchase a Baby Sea Turtle. They are available for for $50 each. Simply contact Adam Long Sculpture.
When I walk through my neighborhood, less than a mile from the Missouri River, I see plastic litter along the streets and sidewalks. During rain storms this plastic floats into storm drains, creeks, into the river and eventually makes its way to the ocean harming wildlife all along the way. You may have heard of the “plastic islands” that have started collecting in the ocean gyres (quiet areas outside of the main ocean currents) and along beaches around the world. Animals mistake the colorful objects as food. Albatross parents literally feed plastic to their young till they die. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags floating in the water for one of their main food sources, jellyfish, and die gagging on a plastic bag. The plastic gets churned in ocean waves breaking down into smaller and smaller bits to the point small sea life can ingest it. These animals then get eaten and on up the food chain the plastic goes. The chemicals in the plastic leach out and contaminate the water poisoning micro-organisms as well.
One report I read estimated that about 10% of the plastic in the oceans came from the land (meaning the 90% comes from ocean going vessels such as plastic fishing nets from fishing boats and waste from other boats). I want to do what I can to lower that 10% as much as possible. So every walk I take I bring a bag and fill it with the trash I find. I recycle most of it, but I have saved and washed the plastic to create sculptures.
I chose the iconic and beloved form of a sea turtle to use as a symbol of all the animals wounded and killed by plastic litter and created original sculptures of baby and adult sized sea turtles. These are cast in water clear resin embedded with the plastic waste I collect from the streets of my neighborhood.
Imagine a darkened gallery space with spot lights on these ethereal and unusual turtles hanging from the ceiling or on pedestals giving the gallery visitor the feeling they are swimming with a bale of turtles. Some may be very natural and “healthy”. Others may be sickened and wounded.
My plan is to cast many of the baby sea turtles and sell those to raise money to cast the larger adult sized turtles. I would like to eventually exhibit around 20-30 turtles, but each one will cost well over $100 in materials alone not to mention the time involved. These would then become a traveling exhibit that will raise awareness and money to help support organizations that are helping the animals and removing plastic waste.
In addition to the exhibit an interactive/educational event or workshop could be conducted where participants could assist in gathering plastic litter from the local neighborhood and we cast a turtle with that plastic.
You can help! I need funding to pay for the casting and molding materials, proposal submissions, grant writing and all the time associated with these things. Please purchase a Baby Sea Turtle filled with plastic litter I have removed from the eco-system so that it can’t harm wildlife and humans. Just contact Adam Long Sculpture.
The Feral Plastic: Sea Turtle Project is funded in part by patrons like you and by generous grants from:
The Integrity Arts & Culture Association