TURTLES

 

4 meters long x 4.5 meters wide x 2.6 meters high

Gusita and Myrtle are 2 giant green Turtles commissioned by London and Whipsnade Zoo in summer 2018.  They were part of an interactive show for children that engaged them with the issue of single use plastic pollution. They are made from a steel frame and then clad with around 200 crafted used tyres from cars, motorbikes and bicycles. We then painted them with recycled paints from a paint reusing scheme to give them a realistic look. The Turtles are 4 meters long, 4.5 meters wide and 2.6 meters high. They were dressed in a tangle of nets and plastic waste the children could relate to such as plastic toys, drinks bottles, wrappers and other every day items. It was possible to go inside their cave like shell where there is more single use plastic representing what they had eaten. Massive thanks to Annalisa Mandia and Coco Banks for their endless tyre crafting perfection and to the numerous volunteers who made this project happen on a shoe string!