During this period, Timișoara residents are enjoying a unique event taking place on Marasesti pedestrian street. Specifically, eight panels, each nearly 15 square meters in size and made from colored plastic corks, have been installed on the walls of Spitalul Militar.
The project named Urban Intervention Coloram Pietonala is part of a larger project, T M1000 Making Timiş the Cleanest County in the Country in 1000 Days.
We are trying to act on multiple levels, from cleaning up certain problem areas to holding ecological education competitions like Scoala Zero Waste, and awareness campaigns about the importance of selective waste collection and upcycling installations.
Last year, we worked with plastic bottles and turned them into the world's largest bottle cap bridge. This year, we focused on caps and here's what came out of it. The idea behind our upcycling projects is actually to see waste as resources and give them a new, more interesting life, Larisa Rusu, representative of Ecostuff, the organization that took care of organizing this project, told us.
Therefore, Urban Intervention Coloram Pietonala started with caps. Larisa shared some more details about the project, telling us: "we have an acquaintance who collects caps to donate them to a collection center, and with the money raised, they want to buy a wheelchair for a person with disabilities.
I had about two tons of caps available and initially wanted to cover a hideous fence in Timisoara, from a very busy area. However, I ended up transforming them into giant paintings and placing them on a gray and dreary street in the city.
The color selection process for the lids alone (over 35 lid shades) took approximately two weeks, followed by about three weeks of screwing them on. Initially, a collaboration with the art high school was attempted for model creation, but the subject was later left open to anyone who wished to participate.
A contest was held on the broad theme of Timisoara, environment, art, and participation. All sorts of proposals were received, some stranger than others, but seven works were ultimately selected. The one featuring a bicycle was chosen following votes on Facebook.
Larisa told us that for the creation of the paintings "we worked with approximately 40 volunteers, most of whom also helped us with last year's bridge. We work with volunteers on this project because we realized it's the best solution. We worked about 14 hours a day for three weeks.
Volunteers (high school students, teachers, university students, sales agents, grandmothers, corporate employees) came as they could, if they had two free hours, they were at our workshop.
The public's reaction to these art manifestations in the urban environment has been positive. The exhibition approval is for two weeks, so they will be taken down on Sunday. However, Ecostuff representatives are in discussions with Iulius Mall to exhibit them for another two weeks within their premises. So even after Sunday, these paintings can still be seen, just at a different location.
