Waste Management
Client: No9. / Pillars of change
Sector: Public Art
Role: Illustrator/Animator
Platform: Instagram/Public billboard
Tools: Illustrator/After Effects
Overview
There is much data about the amount of waste produced by Torontonians, but these numbers are so large that it sometimes becomes too abstract for us to really comprehend. 942,700 tonnes of garbage, for example, is an overwhelming number to try to imagine. With this piece, I wanted to show how much garbage is produced by a single person in Toronto in a year, which, on average, amounts to 511kg, more than six times the body weight of the average Canadian. In this piece, I used negative space created by pieces of garbage to create a person’s silhouette and point to the fact that our garbage reflects us and our decisions. In turn, this garbage shapes the way we live - from contamination of the environment, to contributing to global warming, to environmental racism.
My piece includes drawings of more than 80 individual pieces of garbage that together form a bigger picture. I hope that by looking at this piece and interacting with it by colouring, people will recognize that what may at first seem like a small amount of garbage, is part of a larger, vast amount of waste. We can do so much for our planet, from individual action, to demanding best policies from our governments and industry.”
Solution Overview
For this illustration I wanted to show how the garbage we create and produce is a reflection of us and at the same times shapes the environment in which we live. I used vivid colours for both the static and animated piece. I also produced an outline piece that can be used in schools to colour!
