This year Earth Hour is taking place Saturday 23 March. As an important international environmental day an attempt to create more awareness each year is taken by many companies and individuals. In South Africa, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-SA) is using art to celebrate and create awareness of Earth Hour 2013.
A ‘massive’ message
To raise awareness for the world’s largest global mass action for environment, WWF-SA is using larger-than-life artworks in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Theme links human dependence to world
The theme for the murals is #WeAreAllConnected. Created by muralist Freddy Sam (aka Ricky Lee Gordon), the artworks visually highlight humankind’s connection to and dependence on the natural world.
Awareness through participation
Revealed in Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg on 12 March the first mural (as the second will be too) is a product of community participation. This was achieved through a workshop in which local residents and those in the area were asked to draw their interpretations of the message #WeAreAllConnected.
An open day for community contributions to the Cape Town artwork will also be held on 16 March.
Sponsors and technicalities
The murals were created using both Plascon Polvin and Plascon Evolution paint, which is a zero VOC, solvent-free and Green Council-approved product generously sponsored by Kansai Plascon. Eazi Access Crane Hire kindly supplied the cranes used in the production of the two pieces.
On the night of Earth Hour, the second mural in the #WeAreAllConnected-inspired series will be revealed at a special event in Woodstock in Cape Town that coincides with Earth Hour.
*More information from www.wwf.org.za.
