If you've passed Tel Aviv's Gordon Beach lately, you surely noticed a huge colorful beach ball made of plastic objects.
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This sculpture, created by artist Tal Tenne Czaczkes, aims to raise public awareness of the environmental crisis.
"My strength as an artist is to use existing objects, link them together, and then deliver a message. Over the course of a decade, I have collected hundreds of thousands of plastic toys that people had thrown away and I re-used them for artistic purposes," Tenne Czaczkes, an artist, entrepreneur, and environmental activist, told i24NEWS.
"The encounter with these toys allowed me to create a childlike perspective; the toys became my tool and my language to express ideas," said Tenne Czaczkes.
The plastic items that comprise her latest work were collected from beaches, walkways, and car parks adjacent to the seaside promenade.
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality contacted Tenne Czaczkes about the thought-provoking sculpture proposal intended to send a message about reducing litter on beaches and helping protect the sea.
"For me, it was quite natural to choose the shape of a ball, because it's reminiscent of the inflatable beach ball whose colors conjure up childhood for all of us. Then it took me about seven weeks to collect the objects and ten days of work to fasten them together to a net," Tenne Czaczkes revealed, adding that its manufacture was made possible thanks to the cooperation of volunteers and the Ecotion association.
Unveiled on July 29, the installation has already drawn many reactions, thus achieving at least part of the objective: to draw the Israeli public's attention to the preservation of the environment and beaches in particular.
"Most of the people who have passed the ball say they received a kind of 'punch in the gut.' They say that 'it's terrible that the situation on the beaches is what it is today,' and that this ball 'made them realize they're buying a lot more stuff than they actually need,'" Tenne Czaczkes said.
More and more individuals, authorities, and organizations are taking up their responsibilities and realizing that they have to react, the artist said, yet unfortunately, this too often translates into mere wishful thinking.
What is the story behind the #plastic ball sculpture at Trumpeldor #beach?🏖
Artist- Tal Tenne Czaczkes#SayNoToPlastic #plasticpollution pic.twitter.com/3XQOodJ4Tf— Tel Aviv (@TelAviv) August 14, 2019
"We see what is happening in Europe and it is scary! The climate issue must be a priority for all of us, not tomorrow but now!" she warned.
In mid-September, the sculpture will be moved for display at the Israel-World Technology Conference Planetech, from where an Israeli delegation will depart for the COP27 international climate conference in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh in November.
The artifact will then be displayed for several weeks on the Jaffa beach near the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.
In recent years, Tenne Czaczkes has been behind many environmentalist projects, including "Popeyit," a series of paintings sharing her personal story and conveying a message about women's empowerment, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
"Through this project, I discovered my strengths and today I choose to be a role model for women who realize their potential and gain self-confidence," she explained.
Gordon Beach aside, her works were exhibited in the Tel Aviv Museum, the Israel Museum, Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, and various galleries throughout Israel.
"I use art and my talent in the service of a commitment to the environment. The change is in us! Buy less, throw away less, and use what is already at hand. A single action carried out consistently over time produces a huge result!" she said.
The sea ball, part of a larger project called "BigBall," is only the beginning – Tenne Czaczkes plans to create other sculptures in the same globular style. She would like to exhibit them in New York, Rio, and France to rally people to the environmental cause through art.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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