Faculty of Art and Design Department of Social Design students, with artist Minami Shibata Idobeta General Incorporated Association (Hereafter, Idobeta) * In collaboration with the company, we carried out a Christmas tree production project using recycled marine plastic waste and scrap wood. It will be on display at Tenjin Central Park until Thursday, the 25th of this month, adding color to the Christmas Advent venue.
In this initiative, the Christmas tree body is made from recycled fishing nets, and each student decorates it with an original Christmas ornament that represents a social issue they have chosen.
The students attended a special lecture by Shibata, who uses materials such as driftwood to create objects and communicate environmental issues through art. They also deepened their knowledge of the "marine debris problem" by participating in environmental workshops run by Idobeta. Afterwards, each student dug deeper into a social issue that concerned them. They designed, planned, and created ornaments with the aim of presenting those issues to society through their work. The themes ranged from "environmental issues caused by the popularity of fast fashion," "excessive packaging," and "food waste." The ornaments were also decorated using recycled materials.
Hiyori Asakawa, a first-year student, created an ornament using food packaging to raise awareness of the food waste issue. She said, "Food waste is a major global issue, so we chose it as a theme as it is a social issue close to home. In particular, we focused on food that is discarded after its expiration date, which is the benchmark for when it is still edible, and reflected this in the design. In planning this project, we were able to "become aware" of various social issues around us. In the same way, we would be happy if people who see our work are inspired to think about a variety of social issues."
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More details on student work can be found here.
*A general incorporated association that brings together waste artists and video directors to promote activities such as reducing marine litter.
[Department of Social Design]
