An invitation from Elvis & Kresse - Made from 2,190 pieces of individually cut, hand-woven, rescued leather. 350cm x 132cm
Some think plastic pollution is insurmountable. We don't.
Our invitation is woven from rescued leather, leather saved from landfill, given new purpose, and made to last. Our subject is made from the opposite: designed to be used once, discarded, and forgotten. It may just be the most littered ‘branded’ item of single use plastic in the world. You can find these, or their remnants, in our parks, roadsides, rivers, oceans - and in our brains, breasts and bloodstreams.
The maker of this item didn't intend for it to persist in these ways. But intention and impact are not the same thing.
This maker is not legally required to pay the true cost of its collection. They are not yet leading a global campaign for a deposit system. And they are not alone; just six multinationals are linked to 25% of the world's plastic pollution. Fewer than 60 businesses account for half of it.
Plastic is a byproduct of oil and gas. While we all drive, fly, and power our lives with fossil fuels, plastic will persevere. We fail to recycle 91% of what we produce. A material once heralded as a miracle, is now a nightmare. Without creativity, guts, and a gargantuan effort it will always be a nightmare.
The root of this is not ignorance. It is the distance between our moral instincts and our economic systems. No individual, guided by their conscience, believes it is acceptable to profit from the degradation of the natural world. And yet, collectively, we have failed to elect governments, write policies, or collaborate across borders to hold our economies to the standards of our hearts.
But, this maker is magical.
The best advertising many of us grew up with - formative, unforgettable - was made by this company. The stories they told. The music they chose. Thirty seconds that could make you feel the specific ache of a first kiss, or the electric possibility of a summer. This is a company that understands longing, beauty, and the awesome power of a story well told.
They are masters of logistics, manufacturing, and meaning. They sustained increasing dividends for sixty years. If this unwavering quality, ingenuity, and endurance is possible, something greater is too.
You got addicted to plastics, just like the rest of us. You didn't know what would happen.
But only you have the creativity, the reach, and the trust of billions, to do something truly extraordinary.
This is not a criticism. It is an invitation.
We believe in you.
Always. Read More
