Enviornment watch

Ouroboros, a gigantic work of recycled art, will be the centerpiece of Tel Aviv-Jaffa's International Earth Day observance.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
bottles 88 (photo credit: )
bottles 88
(photo credit: )
Ouroboros, a gigantic work of recycled art will be the centerpiece of Tel Aviv-Jaffa's International Earth Day observance this year. An international, world-encompassing and original project to promote environmental awareness, the project is named for a mythological serpent that swallowed its own tail, creating a circle and symbolizing the self-sufficient cycle of nature. Work on the Israeli Ouroboros began on April 16 on the Dolphinarium beach and it will remain in place until April 24. The 250-meter diameter creation is constructed from the approximately 300,000 disposable plastic bottles collected by the Elah recycling corporation in schools around the country. It is visible from space and will be photographed by satellite. The work was carried out by the Jaffa Sea Scouts, under the guidance of Cycle Satellite Team artists Juan (Jean-Luc) Meyer-Abbatucci from the Congo, and Hugo Hebreard from France, who initiated the international project. Similar serpents have been or will be built in India, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Belize, Chile, Colombia, South Africa, Congo and Russia. They are intended to represent the ecological emergencies that the world is currently facing, due to the lack of priority given to recycling and pollution issues. "The use of plastic bottles is a result of the fact that these bottles have become a major pollutant in Israel and around the world. It is important to increase the public's awareness of recycling in order to save the environment in which we live," explains Meyer-Abbatucci. The meaning of the Ouroboros design is threefold: It symbolizes the problem that humanity faces if it does not recycle, the consequences of that problem and ultimately a solution that every man can adopt. For humanity, the nature of the snake symbolizes mankind recycling our products, thereby protecting our fragile environment and preparing a better world for future generations on our planet. The darker side of the image denotes the destructive force of human race and our lack of care for the future. Also cooperating are the Zalul Environmental Protection Association and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Arts Department.