Prime London shopping destination Carnaby Street has been graced with a fresh summery new installation – ‘Carnaby in Colour’ – made entirely from recycled plastic waste collected from local businesses.
The latest installation to adorn one of London’s most famous retail districts is the result of a collaboration with recycling agency Are You Mad and highlights the importance of recycling by using waste plastic from the surrounding restaurants and shops.
In total the installation – which will be adding a vibrant touch over Carnaby Street and its neighbouring Newburgh Street until mid-September – used 684kg of recycled plastic waste, including bakery crates and buckets, food pallets and unwanted shop decorations.
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Are You Mad, who reimagine the use of plastic waste, spent four weeks collecting, processing and cleaning all of the waste materials. After this, the plastic was pressed into sheets before artists were able create the finished product.
Shaftesbury Capital executive director Andrew Price described the collaboration as a “landmark public art feature”.
“The installation is a creative take on the importance of recycling, made possible through close collaboration with our local business and community spirit,” he added.
Are You Mad co-founder James Suckling said: “We are proud to be a part of this project in such an iconic destination and are grateful to work with Shaftesbury Capital to highlight the work we do for people and the planet.”
“We hope the installation can encourage people to come to our space on nearby Berwick Street and continue to recycle single-use plastic.”
Previous Are You Mad projects include display units for Selfridge’s second hand shopping drive The Edit, Nike’s Recreation programme and work with West Ham United.
The latest piece comes amid much discussion about the impact of plastic waste, earlier this year a report from the 5 Gyres Institute found that there is more than 170 trillion plastic particles in the world’s oceans, and warned that cleanup efforts will not be helpful unless global plastic production is also reduced.
