bazaar February 2019 Issue

Page 64

RE_USE X TSCK

The fusion of art and technology to help the environment By bazaar staff

You already know that global climate is taking a hit. You also know that we only get one planet which comes with a “you break it, you buy it” policy and we are already paying for it. The Scientific Center Kuwait has decided to take action. Last June they worked with the UNDP and hosted an event titled “Beat the Plastic” which helped raise awareness, while at the same time pledging to make long-term changes to their policies that would help eliminate plastic pollution, especially the ones caused by single-use-plastics SUPs. Immediately after their collaboration with the UNDP’s sustainability program, they banned the use of SUPs and now use glass cups instead of plastic cups for water in their administrative offices. They have also replaced plastic bags in the Gift Shop, instead they offer their customers paper bags or the option of purchasing reusable canvas totes. Visitors can also purchase S’well bottles to reduce their plastic bottle consumption. And if you are observant, you will have noticed Omniya’s recyclable collections boxes around the premises. This year they have undertaken a huge project in collaboration with the Re_Use project. It is part art, part science and part hands-on experience to help the public realize the effect of pollution in Kuwait and offer a thought-provoking platform for change. The exhibit, which opened on January the 10th and will run through April the 6th, has been in the making since 2018 when they invited creatives and artists to send in their proposals for pieces that would help drive the message to a large audience. The result is twenty installations that are a beautiful mixture of art and technology to show just how terrible the effects of pollution can be on our immediate surroundings and on the long-term. The exhibit starts before you enter the Discovery Center. The corridor is lined with posters in Arabic and English, giving you specific statistics and numbers on the effects of bad practices on Kuwait. They are an eye-opener. As you take it all in, you realize that this is a problem in our own backyard, not a faraway global one. 90% of Kuwait’s coral is already gone and Kuwait’s arable land area is shrinking. The large touch screen installation called Bloom that is located just at the door to enter the exhibit, which responds to your motions and touches utilizing special sensors, mirrors

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Re_Use Exhibit at the Discovery Place

Echoes

Upcycled Music


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bazaar February 2019 Issue by bazaar magazine - Issuu