CHENNAI: Elliot’s Beach was home to a different kind of whale over the weekend. The 23-feet killer whale made using 45,000 bottle caps attracted people of all ages. The installation was artist B Gowtham’s attempt to raise awareness about how dumping of plastics into water bodies affect aquatic life.
“The multiple colours of bottle caps used denotes that not only the number of caps we’re using but also the number of aquatic beings who are being affected by it,” said Kanchana V, a passerby.
“Even now if you look around the beach, it is littered. The artist is doing his bit, but it is up to people to come forward to take up the initiative and preserve our marine life.” Gowtham, who is the founder of Art Kingdom, made the installation with steel and fabrication wires for durability. There was a small opening for kids to crawl in and understand the message behind the artwork.
“I spent two years and four months doing research on the use of plastics on beaches and how it affects the ocean and aquatic life. People know the harm due to trashing and littering the beach, but they continue to do it. Like my other projects which were related to nature, I decided to create something using bottle caps. Out of ten per cent, only two per cent of plastic bottles are thrown with the cap closed and the rest are littered everywhere.” Gowtham encouraged the public and his friends to find bottle caps.
Through crowdsourcing, they collected 10,000 caps from temples and beaches. He also got 5,000 bottle caps as birthday gifts from friends, and the rest from scavengers, recycle areas and the like. He collected 60 kg of bottle caps to create this masterpiece. He started the project on March 18 and completed it on April 9.
He said that despite the plastic ban, not much has changed. “I want people to not just look at it but understand and spread the message. I want my work to be seen by everyone in Chennai and want them to spread the message with practicality. This is not a one-day activity. I plan on transferring the killer whale to schools and colleges as I want the younger generation to know and be aware of what is happening,” shared Gowtham.