Colourful sculptures of giraffes, turtles, and dolphins have appeared in Anassa’s Lobby and beach shop lately. A close look reveals that they are made from up-cycled flip flops! This art form is a creative response to the prevalence of plastic pollution in the Indian Ocean. The social enterprise group Ocean Sole organises ongoing community beach clean-ups in coastal Kenya. Participants gather discarded flip flops and sell them by the kilogram to Ocean Sole, generating needed cash for local communities. Then workers at Ocean Sole cleanse the flip flops of oil and grime and glue them into multicoloured blocks. Next comes the sculptor, who carefully carves a block into the shape of an animal. Each piece of art is sanded smooth and tagged before being distributed for sale at galleries and shops around the world. The artworks raise attention to the problem of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, while the artisanal process results in the removal of 300 kilograms from the waste stream every day, supports fifty full time jobs (and 650 Kenyan dependants), and up-cycles 400,000 flip flops per year! In Cyprus, Ocean Sole sculptures are distributed by the Sophia Foundation for Children, a local charity that aids children suffering from poverty and famine in Kenya. All proceeds from sales at Anassa support the charities. The sculptures come in a variety of sizes. Stop by and adopt one of these special creatures for your home.
