Eco-Activism Art Project Upcycles Pop Bottles Into Planters
Ananna Rafa is just in grade 11 but she isn’t – and will never be “just” anything. A wonderfully bright, creative and motivated young person living in the vibrant and diverse Thorncliffe neighbourhood, she is one of the nine talented Art Starts microgrant recipients. Ananna is a visual artist of Bengali descent, who works in a variety of media. She came to Canada three years ago and has since been using her artistic abilities to explore and express her views about the world while continuing to engage with her community through public art projects.
Ananna noticed that in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon there exists a serious litter problem and this is a huge factor in reducing the sense of community pride according to other youth Ananna spoke with. Ananna was compelled to take the lead and be a force of change in her community. With the support of a few friends: Gloria Zhou, Maria Kashif, Idris Ali and Khadija Aziz, Ananna started rallying support from other students, the staff and faculty in preparation for this awesome project.
The project will see the construction of a green wall, a living sculpture, made up of up-cycled pop bottles transformed into planters, with plants that will grow year-round. “In doing the project we hope to share a message about how what may appear to be trash can actually be repurposed into something beautiful” Ananna says. The Pop Bottle Planter project hits all the marks with its collaborative, artistic, environmentally minded and conscious approach.
In Ananna’s words: “I think this project would have a tremendous impact on the people who live around Thorncliffe and Flemingdon . It will not only send the message of ending littering and promote recycling, but it will also teach the younger generation about upcycling and DIY culture. It will also introduce the concept of urban farming and the benefits of having plants in an urban environment. When asked about the benefits of the program this was the response from the youth that are running this project, it will allow us to learn about hydroponics, how to maintain and look after plants but also managing grants, money, advertising and ultimately how to successfully lead a large scale art project. This project is just a beginning to all the plans we have to improve and beautify our community. We are very thankful for this micro-grant, which allows the youth of Thorncliffe and Flemingdon to come together to improve our environment and advocate for the problems facing our community.”
And we are very thankful for you, Ananna!
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