Trash turned into stunning art

A giant parrot fish made of countless colorful pieces is not something you see every day. And it's just one of a large number of beautiful sculptures of sea creatures created by Washed Ashore. But the Oregon-based project is about more than creative expression.

A closer look reveals that the larger-than-life sculptures are made from a wild mix of plastic objects: Toys, tooth brushes, bottles, tires, sandals, baskets. What they all have in common is their origin: They were washed ashore on the coast of Oregon in the United States.

Before the plastic trash can be transformed into art, the materials need to be collected, cleaned and sorted by color. Over the past five years, volunteers at Washed Ashore have processed about 17 tons of garbage this way.

Washed Ashore’s founder and lead artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi (pictured here) creates the concepts for the sculptures and also shapes the more difficult parts like the animals' faces.

Volunteers of all ages also participate in the creative process by piecing together parts of the sculptures. This kind of help leads many to start questioning their own wasteful lifestyles and consider ways of generating less garbage.

The completed sculptures are taken on tour throughout the United States to raise awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans and the destruction of marine ecosystems. There are currently three shows on the road - each one comprises some 15 pieces.

“The idea is that you have to grab people’s attention and no-one can resist a huge plastic animal!” says Haseltine Pozzi. Most sculptures measure between 3.5 and 4.5 meters in length and almost three meters in height. The current record-holder is a bird sculpture with a seven-meter wingspan.

Haseltine Pozzi hopes that people in other countries will create their own version of Washed Ashore. "I have always thought of this as an epidemic art exhibit. It inspires more people to want to do something very similar and that way we get more garbage off the beaches and more awareness internationally. That’s our ultimate goal."