Salford children have helped to create a special flower garden made entirely from discarded plastic bottles to spread a powerful environmental message in MediaCity at this year’s Lightwaves festival.
Garden of the Deep by Diane Watson, consisting of more than 1,000 plastic bottles in the form of flowers, was one of 13 art installations exhibited at the lights festival.
Local schools and community groups came together to create the vivid garden, which symbolised a more poignant, thought-provoking and urgent message regarding the unfortunate state of the environment we live in today.
Emma Evans, an independent artist who supported the creation of Garden of the Deep, recounted Diane’s story of how the ambitious art project came to be.
She said: “She lives close to the beach, and when she was taking her dog for a walk, she’d be collecting plastic bottles off the beach and collecting rubbish.
“She thought, ‘I could create something beautiful out of this rubbish’.”
Lightwaves, which ran from December 1-4, used art installations to brighten up the dark, cold nights to create an animated public space for visitors, free-of-charge.
Ms Evans shared the same enthusiasm in the initial process of making the inspiring artwork a reality.
She said: “There would be times where I’d be driving somewhere and I’d see plastic bottles on the side of the road, so I’d pull up and pick them up.”
A staggering 35 million plastic bottles are used every day in the UK.
Hoping to portray an influential message behind the artwork about recycling for environmental change, Ms Evans believes the involvement of the local community is imperative.
She added: “It’s been interesting to see the hunger for creativity and being part of something bigger.”
Ms Evans said: “When you work on something so important like this, it has a ripple effect. Working with these younger minds, they’ll pass it on to their families and talk to their friends.”
Art installations like Garden of the Deep hoped to take the public’s minds away from the struggles of daily life amid the cost-of-living crisis and other societal issues.
Bringing people together with art is the crux of what Ms Evans does every day, because she runs community group workshops every week for those seeking to express their creativity in a relaxed environment.
She said: “It’s a time for them to express themselves and take them away from the challenges of day-to-day life of ‘Can we put the heating on?’ or ‘Can we put a meal on the table for the family?’.
“We need art more than ever. Art is escapism and a form of respite, but also a time for documenting what is happening right now.
“Connecting all of these creative skills and bringing everyone together is what I want to continue to do.”
Find out more about Emma Evans Studio and how she captures emotion through art and illustrations.
Lightwaves at MediaCity coincided with the Christmas Makers Markets, offering Christmas-themed food, souvenirs, art and more, outside The Lowry.
Details of the markets at Salford Quays and other events can be found here.
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