2nd UN Ocean Conference

Plastic instead of water: a work of arte symbolizing the ocean emergency

Arts Portugal Plastic

A sculpture of an open tap spewing out rubbish - composed entirely of plastic - instead of water - was the symbol of the 2nd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), held this year in Lisbon. 

La obra “Giant Plastic Tap” fue creada por el artista ambiental canadiense Benjamin Von Wong en colaboración con Iberdrola y Cultura Inquieta.
La obra “Giant Plastic Tap” fue creada por el artista ambiental canadiense Benjamin Von Wong en colaboración con Iberdrola y Cultura Inquieta.


The work entitled "Giant Plastic Tap" was created by Canadian environmental artist Benjamin Von Wong in collaboration with Iberdrola and Cultura Inquieta. The artist's hyper-realistic style acted as a wake-up call for those who came across his work, as it was placed just a few metres from the Altice Arena, the official UNOC venue, and sought to address the theme of the conference. 

Around 250 kilos of discarded plastics and four days were needed to assemble this sculpture, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the oceans, as the scientific community claims that in the not too distant future, the oceans are expected to accumulate more plastics than fish. It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion tons of this material are currently scattered throughout our seas, an alarming figure if we take into account that the ocean supports 80% of life on the planet, generates half of the oxygen in the atmosphere and absorbs a quarter of the CO2 emissions produced by human activity.

This new edition of the Oceans Conference comes at a key moment due to its proximity to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are expected to be met by 2030, to which Iberdrola is also committed, including number 14: Conserve and use the oceans responsibly.