We are surviving tough times, but plastic pollution isn’t going away. Statistics are scary, we get it. But don't bury your head in the sand. A plastic bag can take 1000 years to degrade. Let’s make a pledge to be better. When you finish your drink, put the bottle in your pocket and take it home with you (as our rubble walls stay up without them.)
The Government must play its part too, with better incentives to reduce plastic, and more regular recycling collections. But, if WE try to change what we can, we can achieve great things.
Remember, there is no Planet B.
Drinks containers make up 14% of ALL LITTER.
500 billion plastic bottles are used each year.
88% of the surface of the sea is polluted by plastic waste.
When headlines declared Malta was the European Union’s worst country for recycling (sending 83% of our waste to landfill and recycling just 7%) it forced us to act. When you are at the bottom, the only way is up! If people in the WORST country rally together, clean up, and create something awesome to help reduce plastic pollution - we can inspire other countries to take action too.
Want to do your bit to fight plastic pollution but unsure of how to start? The answer is here.
We want to clean up the Maltese islands, inspiring people to recycle more, working together to build a glorious work of art.
A large bas-relief sculpture of Christ made from thousands of used plastic bottles. Our saviour will help to save our islands.
We need over 3,000 used PLASTIC drinks bottles (clean/blue/yellow and green).
2 OR 1 LITRE BOTTLES OR SMALLER, IN THEIR ORIGINAL SHAPE.
We wash and heat-seal the bottles, to fit securely inside our sculpture.
Everything used to build our sculpture is made from recycled materials.
The artwork's supportive frame will be designed and supplied by Pillow Space Frame Ltd.
Do you want to take part? Contact our Cast-Out team today. Attend a litter pick, or help out with a community bottle collection. Maybe you want to pledge money? Go to our crowdfunding page or contact us to register as an official sponsor. Our Cast-Out Facebook page has regular event news and appeal updates.
BE THE CHANGE. Working together we can make a difference to our environment and create a beautiful attraction that inspires faith in our planet’s future.
LET'S REVERSE OUR BAD PRESS
THE ARTIST
Joseph Barbara is a Maltese artist who highlights environmental issues with his art. For more than 30 years he has been turning old plastic bottles into beautiful art installations.
In 2009, Joseph designed Malta’s first Eco Christmas Tree, made from 4,000 used plastic bottles. He enjoys community collaborations, and his ‘Catch the Drop’ monument for HSBC Malta linked up with schoolchildren to promote water conservation. Joseph‘s exciting vision for Cast-Out is set to create a popular attraction with a timely environmental message.
WHY TRASH ART?
Trash art is dramatic and direct. People can easily see the amount of plastic being thrown away. The thousands of plastic bottles we need will be collected from litter picks and community events across the Maltese islands. Creating this art will tidy up our towns and villages too.
Take part and help us collect plastic bottles. This is art FOR the people, BY the people. When our sculpture of Christ is unveiled, you will smile, knowing you helped to make it happen.
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MISSION AND PERMISSION
Making a sculpture of Christ from trash, the church will be outraged! Actually, they are not. Malta and Gozo Diocese like the idea.
Cast-Out refers to our discarded plastic bottles, and to Christ who was Cast-Out by man and crucified, but he rose from the dead. Reusing plastic bottles for our sculpture of Christ provides the symbolism for onlookers of rebirth by using again. People may then reflect upon their own disposable lifestyles and the long-term environmental impact.
His Holiness Pope Francis is passionate about safeguarding God’s created earth and wrote a letter to all (an encyclical), entitled Laudato Si “on care for our common home”. The Bishop of Gozo, His Excellency Anton Teuma, and Cardinal Mario Grech at The Vatican also support Cast-Out.
THE PUBLIC CAN EASILY PARTICIPATE IN CAST-OUT, HELPING US TO INITIATE CHANGE AND BRING POSITIVE ATTENTION TO GOZO.
SPONSORS MUST COMMIT TO A SET MINIMUM SUM TO LINK WITH OUR CAMPAIGN – AS WE WORK TO INSPIRE BETTER ECO-AWARENESS AND BUILD A FUN, GO-TO ATTRACTION. CAST-OUT USES COMMUNITY LED ART TO PROMOTE BETTER, MORE INFORMED SUSTAINABLE CHOICES AND RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP, BECAUSE THE BATTLE AGAINST PLASTIC POLLUTION MUST BE WON.
FUNDING
CAST OUT will be funded by a mix of grants and corporate sponsorship.
Contact our team to become a sponsor.
Typical costs involve: hire of artist, renting space, materials for the billboard /casing/frame. Costs linked to collecting, cleaning and transporting thousands of plastic bottles, litter-pick kits, hiring a production crew for the ‘making of’ video, staff hire, brochure, website, poster design, etc
WHO'S BEHIND IT?
Joanne Curtis, is a TV Producer and Journalist from the UK, now living in Gozo, Malta.
She set up a massive art installation to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee while working at the BBC. This involved 5,000 people becoming part of a huge work of art by submitting personal photos to be used in a giant (14 x metre x 14 metre) photo-mosaic portrait of Her Majesty. A portrait of the Queen, made from photos of her subjects.
International Acclaim
This huge photo mosaic of the Queen made national and International News. During its fortnight exhibiting at the Towner Gallery, over 25,000 people visited it. It also generated over £30,000 in revenue when displayed inside Rochester Cathedral in Kent for 2 weeks, winning a tourism award too. More importantly, it made thousands of people happy. Project managing this art installation opened Jo’s eyes to the power of art.
The Cast-Out project revolves around community participation, giving the public an active role.
Cast-Out launches to the public through an appeal video, this will kick-start a social media campaign, sharing updates, appeals, artist videos, to guarantee community awareness, engagement and support.
A short film will be made of the ‘making process’, featuring litter-picks, time-lapse footage of the sculpture being built and interviews with key people who helped to make it happen. This will be released to the media when the art is unveiled, along with a social media version too.
Jo Curtis
Founder /Project Manager for CAST-OUT jo@cast-out.com (mobile: 00356 997 11411)