According to a recent World Air Quality report, Thailand is the world’s 23rd most polluted country and in 2018 it was ranked sixth largest contributor to ocean waste by SCB’s Economic Intelligence Center. There are few who would deny the urgent need to reduce and recycle here and everyone has a part to play in this endeavour, which is why Bangkok-based artist Wishulada Panthanuvong has chosen to turn her passion and creativity into an educative platform to combat plastic pollution.
“Ever since I was little I have seen alternative uses for all kinds of objects,” the 28-year-old laughs. “What others would see as simple buttons or clothes hangers I saw as potential eyes and arms for something I could create.” Given her parents run a trash separation operation, Wishulada was surrounded by an abundance of cast-off materials with which to experiment. Incorporating waste items into her art began as an attempt to get rid of some of the plastic accumulated by mum and dad.