Wandsworth school kids create art exhibition with giant jellyfish made of discarded plastic

An installation developed by local schoolchildren has been unveiled at Southside shopping centre in Wandsworth.

Until May 5, a collaborative art exhibition titled Single Use Planet will feature work created by hundreds of year 4 and 5 pupils, each class of which created a giant jellyfish from discarded plastic.

Workshops led by the artist Blake C Joshua introduced students to ideas around climate change and the impact of plastic on oceans. Pupils were encouraged to look at plastics and waste as material from which they can create something new, rather than discard,

Part of Wandsworth Council's work to engage young people in climate change and make the borough more sustainable, the project was facilitated in partnership with the Royal College of Art, Kids against Plastic and hosted by Southside Shopping Centre.   

The jellyfish are now suspended together in a public area of Southside, near the cinema and will return to the schools that made them when the public exhibition ends in May.

Blake C Joshua said: "Designing the curriculum for this exhibition and working with local Wandsworth Primary Schools has been such a tremendous opportunity. Single use plastics are often an out of sight out of mind topic, they are all around us but what happens at the end of their lifecycle? Where does it go? What are the repercussions? I wanted to create an open dialogue and highlight these questions with practical craft-based activities." 

Judi Gasser, cabinet member for the environment, gave a speech at the official opening this week, which was also attended by students, teachers, Blake C Joshua, the Mayor of Wandsworth and senior council members and officers. 

She said: "We want to take everyone on our journey to tackle climate change and make Wandsworth more sustainable. Engaging with children is crucial and this is an imaginative and fun way to get the message across about the need to reduce single use plastic." 

The free exhibition is open to the public until May 5, and everyone is welcome to go along to take a look and take part in creative activities