Potato Head and Art Activist Liina Klauss Draw Attention To Ocean Plastics with an Installation of Salvaged Flip Flops
(BALI, INDONESIA — May 11, 2018) — This May, Potato Head will shed light on the ecological harm caused by the world’s most ubiquitous form of footwear: the flip-flop. Millions of pairs of the synthetic shoe wash ashore around the globe each year, and as a brand surrounded by paradisal beaches, Potato Head is determined to draw attention to the serious issue of ocean plastics through a colorful installation of salvaged sandals.
In its ongoing mission to “provide good times and do good in the world”, “Potato Head has
teamed up with award-winning German art activist Liina Klauss to demonstrate the
reality of marine pollution. The artist has created a large-scale installation constructed
from over 5,000 plastic flip-flops, all picked up along the shores of Bali ’s west coast.
Klauss and a small team of helpers amassed the large volume of shoes in a series of six beach cleanups, while the artwork itself took weeks to build. “I want to show people a different perspective on what we consider ‘rubbish,’” says Klauss. “Everything we throw away comes back to us (via the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we grow crops and raise animals on). Flip – flops are just one example; there is potential within all these materials we waste and consider worthless. ”
To realise this project — a rainbow-hued structure that takes the shape of an ocean wave
— Klauss collaborated with two Ubud, Bali – based initiatives. Multidisciplinary firm
IBUKU designed and built the frame from sustainably harvested bamboo, while the Innovation Lab at Green School supplied a ‘ thread ’ made entirely from melted -down plastic bottle caps for which to attach the sandals.
The work will be installed at the entrance to Potato Head Beach Club from 19 May and
on view through the 2018 summer season.
About Potato Head
Potato Head is an Indonesian lifestyle brand expressed through a collective of dynamic hospitality venues in Jakarta, Bali, Hong Kong and Singapore. We take a conscious approach in everything we do, supporting sustainability and our local communities. Our restaurants source seasonal ingredients from regional farmers and our cultural and musical pro gramming promotes emerging talent from around the archipelago. We also work globally with like – minded creatives across music, art and fashion, to offer an eclectic experience in each neighbourhood we are in and to bring our “local spirit” and “tropical sou l” wherever we go.
About liina klauss
German artist liina klauss (1974) uses lost objects within the natural environment as the starting point for works, which spans delicate mosaics to large-scale land installations. Liina began making environmental art in 2011 in Hong Kong, using marine litter from the city’s beaches. It was there, in 2013, that she had her first solo exhibition. She has since realised environmental art and community projects in Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal and Germany, and regu larly participates in Micro Galleries’ traveling shows as well as music and art festivals all over Southeast Asia. liina collaborates with schools, universities and
corporations to take people of all ages and backgrounds into the wild to connect with nature and actively participate in the art – making process. At present liina inspires and is being inspired at Green School in Ubud, Bali.
For more information, images or interview requests, please contact:
Karen Day
Director of Communications
Potato Head Family
m. +62 811 3982855
e: karen.day@pttfamily.com