Project unites science and art
The first exhibits at UKZN were unveiled in the presence of the Ambassador of Italy and UKZN’s new Vice-Chancellor on 7 August.
A CREATIVE initiative from the South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Waste and Climate Change at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), dubbed the Neptune Project, has brought together a stellar team to use art to draw attention to effects of pollution on the environment, and to convey ideas for solutions emerging from high-quality scientific research.
The Neptune Project, which will be officially launched in November 2019 during the Waste to Resources Summer School at UKZN’s School of Engineering, is uniting artists, engineers and experts in waste management and in the creative arts to explore innovative and exciting ways to tackle waste and pollution, particularly the plastic pollution plaguing the country’s oceans, through recycling and re-use.
SARChI Chair, Prof Cristina Trois, is heading the initiative with a team that comprises International Waste Working Group Southern Africa Regional Branch Manager (and Neptune Project coordinator) Gisella Reale, Durban Green Corridors, and representatives from Durban-based self-sustaining social enterprise Umcebo Design, creative director Robin Opperman, creative consultant Ujala Sewpersad and project facilitator Cristina van der Westhuyzen.
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“We aim to use art as a form of communication that goes beyond scientific language to inform people about what the science community is doing about climate change issues, such as plastic in the oceans. Through this project, we hope to reach out to unite the people of South Africa in the fight against plastic pollution in the ocean and in the environment, and to support scientific research,” said Trois.
Commenting on the project, Robin Opperman said he was very excited about what he and his team, along with intern from Vermont, USA, Reshavan Naicker, had achieved. He said this was all made possible through contributions from the community, and would put Durban on the map in terms of creative waste management.
“We are hoping this project will make ‘big noise,’ and it has been a lifesaver having Reshavan working with us on the initiative. He has plugged in to very pressured work and has been very flexible,” he said.
A local, Reshavan attended Star College Boys High until he was awarded a scholarship at the age of 16 to complete the last two years of his schooling career at the United World College of Costa Rica. He graduated with his International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma in May 2018, and is currently attending Bennington College, a private liberal arts college in Vermont, where he is studying architecture, design, the arts, and Spanish.
“I hope to work in the design field in the future with my focus most likely lying in architecture. I found out about Umcebo Design as they were on the university’s database. I have loved my time with Robin and Ujala and it has been good to be doing something practical with them, especially in a collaborative way. It has been nice to be around people who think the same way as I do about things!” he said.
The Neptune Project will create a permanent art exhibition of recycled artwork at UKZN’s School of Engineering’s Unite Building, highlighting the seriousness of problem of plastic pollution in the oceans and the value of recycling at a community level. This will also creatively communicate results of scientific research into managing waste as a resource undertaken by UKZN’s School of Engineering.
The first exhibits at UKZN were unveiled in the presence of the Ambassador of Italy, Paolo Cuculi, and UKZN’s new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nana Poku, on 7 August, in conjunction with a workshop on water, waste and energy for a sustainable future.
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