new waters

Perched on a bluff in Sante Fe Community College campus is Ethyl The Whale, the Guinness World Records largest recycled plastic sculpture on the planet:

Commissioned by the Monterey Bay Aquarium on the California coast, the 82 ft sculpture was designed by artists Joel Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova, then built over a six-month span with aid from over 50 artists and volunteers. Purchased by Meow Wolf, Ethyl was disassembled and driven 1,080 miles to New Mexico, where she’s become a powerful teaching tool for students.

Impressive feat. I am an advocate and have worked on initiatives for alternative materials in products and packaging. In all cases it required a team spanning several disciplines. Like Ethyl, memorable solutions require a re-imagining of the variables, leading to a new format, which redefines the shape it occupies.