Earth Day

Written by Lauren Watson, Community Development Project Manager, ChallengeELBA

In line with Earth Day (22 April), ELBA collaborated with Laura I.Art Gallery for a Just Turn Up Day. Volunteers helped to build a Noah’s Ark installation using plastic bottles before it’s grand reveal to the public and dignitaries from Barking and Dagenham Council.

As both a commercial gallery space and a non-profit organisation, situated in the vibrant and culturally rich borough of Barking, Laura I. Art Gallery houses a stunning array of artworks from fine art artists; and practitioners who are diverse in background, but united in their exquisite skill and proven ambition. The gallery extends this outreach to the local community and environment, fusing art and activism via community enrichment projects and workshops.

Noah’s Ark was chosen as the ideal motif because of the historical heritage of Barking being one of the most important and largest fishing ports in the UK. Volunteers used over 3000 bottles that were collected from local parks and rivers and constructed a colourful life size sculpture of Noah’s Ark by stringing bottles together and securing them to the ark structure. The theme for Earth Day this year is ‘invest in our planet’. This Just Turn Up Day was a great way for volunteers to engage with pollution in a hands-on way, highlight the impact plastic waste has on the environment and demonstrates the proximity of the problem.

For more information about Just Turn Up days, please contact challenge@elba-1.org.uk.

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