"Save the Planet" installation aims to raise environmental awareness
By Nigar Orujova
YARAT! Contemporary Art Space, an organization promotiing contemporary art worldwide, will present another public installation project in the frame of the Participate Baku Public Art Festival called "Save the Planet" by renowned artist and curator Sabina Shikhlinskaya on August 30 at 5 p.m. local time.
By transforming a local bus into a plastic-collecting vehicle parked in a widely used bus station, Shikhlinskaya hopes to heighten environmental awareness. The graffiti-decorated bus will be moved to various locations around the station with explanatory leaflets disseminated widely.
An art piece by Shikhlinskaya directly refers to global environmental problems since waste material output continues to increase while recycling still leaves a lot to be desired.
The Baku Central Bus Station was purposefully selected as a venue because hundreds of local residents visit it every day, leaving a lot of garbage behind.
On hot summer days, the environmental negligence of Baku residents is the most noticeable -- a spot in front of the bus terminal is spangled with water and pop bottles, ice-cream paper wraps and other "summer signs".
In an attempt to keep a public eye on environmental issues, the artwork author conceived a specific creative experiment.
Her piece of art is an eye-pleasing decorated bus and, at the same time, a bottle bin. All passers-by are welcome to raise their voices in favor of cleanliness and order in their hometown by throwing bottles into the bin.
Both the female artist and YARAT Contemporary Art Space, the project organizer, strive to find the most effective way of plastic reprocessing. At present, the bus is in motion and it is expected to make inroads into some regions of Azerbaijan.
The Participate Baku Public Art Festival is organized by YARAT! Contemporary Art Space and sponsored by Bank Respublika.
Some ten artists from Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Britain, Portugal, and the Netherlands created their projects especially for the Participate Baku Public Art Festival under the principle of interactivity.