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Meet Washed Ashore's Ocean Ambassadors! They are ready to lead the charge around the globe, raising awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans.
You can find slideshows of these and other sculptures here.
Henry, the Giant Fish
Size: 16 ft long, 10 ft high, 5.5 ft wide.
Materials: plastic pieces, aluminum cans, dish soap bottles, lids, buoys, toys and recycled rebar.
Every action counts. We all have the power and ability to help, if we realize that all ocean life is affected by human trash.
Avery, the Giant Bird
Size: 23 ft wingspan, 14 ft high.
Materials: shotgun shell rods for the head, plastic strapping, plastic caps, flip flops, buoys, plastic debris of all kinds.
Every action counts. Reduce the amount of plastic you purchase. Instead, buy recycled alternatives or products made from plant materials. And as always, recycle your plastic when you are finished acquiring as much use out of it as possible. Inspired by the photography essay of Chris Jordan, Avery presents the impact of plastic on seabirds, especially of the Laysan Albatross. The colorful belly created from plastic caps represents the contents of these majestic birds as their very lives are threatened and sometimes ended due to the build-up of plastics in their stomachs.
Giant Squid
Size: 8 ft long, 3 ft wide.
Materials: large plastic container and milk jugs.
Every action counts. Whether it is picking up trash on the beach or in the street or organizing a community beach clean-up, your actions can help save marine life like the majestic Giant Squid. We know little about the colossal squid that reaches 46 feet in length and lives at depths of 7200 feet! The secrets of colossal squid and other marine life are yet to be discovered. But how are squid and other deep-sea marine life adapting to an ocean of trash?
Tula, the Turtle
Size: 10 ft long, 6 ft wide, 2 ft high.
Materials: garbage can lid, chair frame, synthetic rope, netting, lighters, bottle lids, toys and other plastic trash.
Every action counts. Say no to the plastic bag! Use re-usable canvas bags when you go shopping. Globally, six of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered. One of the major threats are plastic bags as they are frequently mistaken as jellies.
Masks
Size: Approximately 8 ft long, 5 ft wide.
Materials: small pieces of plastic too brittle to use for other purposes.
Every action counts. Think about your own use of plastics. How can you reduce your plastic footprint? More than 30% of the plastic collected for this exhibit was already too brittle and degraded by the sun to be used to make the large sculptures. These masks, created by community volunteers, were decorated with the brittle plastic pieces. Plastic in the ocean eventually breaks down into microscopic particles, but it never disappears.
Lidia, the Seal
Size: 12 ft long, 9 ft high.
Materials: synthetic rope, plastic pieces and steel.
Every action counts. Purchase rope, strapping, yarn and string made of natural fibers that biodegrade. Seals account for a significant number of marine mammals needing assistance each year.
Water Bottle Jellyfish
Size: 11 ft high, 7 ft diameter.
Materials: recycled rebar frame, plastic bags, shredded synthetic rope, water bottles and polystyrene.
Every action counts. Only one of six plastic bottles is recycled in the US. Use stainless steel water bottles instead, or if you have a plastic water bottle, reuse it and finally recycle it. Sea jellies are gelatinous zooplankton or free floating animals made of gelatin. They have no brain, respiratory, digestive or circulatory systems, but have been found with plastic in their bodies.
Sea Star
Size: 14 ft. diameter
Materials: glass and plastic bottles, white plastic trash and foam. Bottles are then filled with water to turn it into a musical instrument!
Every action counts. Only 2 in 5 glass bottles in the US are recycled. Reduce, reuse, and recycle glass, metal, paper and plastic. There are over 2000 species of sea stars worldwide. These fascinating invertebrates have no brains and no blood but can regenerate their limbs!
Whale Bones
Size: 10 ft long, 6 ft wide, ~12 ft high.
Materials: recycled rebar frame covered with bottles and jugs and other large white plastic items.
Every action counts. Use steel or metal water bottles rather than plastic. In 2009, 2 sperm whales were found dead along the California coast with hundreds of pounds of ocean trash (bags, bottles, nets, golf balls, etc...) in their stomachs.
