When biking to school everyday, I started to notice the amount of trash speckling the streets. So I started slipping small pieces into my pocket to and from classes.
Once I started noticing the bright pieces of plastic, I couldn’t unsee them. They were everywhere. Within just a few weeks, I had accumulated hundreds of bottle caps, soda cans, and flossers. I decided to repurpose the very trash I picked up into something of worth.
I hung each of my pieces somewhere in Provo, and put QR codes connected to the @pickitupProvo Instagram page. Followers accumulated consistently, indicating constant exposure. Within a few weeks I was published by the newspaper which allowed hundreds of people to hear about what I was doing. I received messages from people I’d never met:
“So cool! Keep it going!”
“Do you take commissions”
"How can I help or be a part of this?”
“Super gross lol I love it”
And let’s not forget, “I want to buy some of your art for our new house!”
Unfortunately, not all of the responses were positive. Quite a few of my pieces have disappeared. A few more were destroyed. Perhaps the city of Provo prefers their trash in the gutter, rather than hanging up for all to see. Who knows. Personally, I like to think people are so obsessed with my art, that they’ve taken them home to hang up in their living rooms.
Hopefully this project will help people think twice when they see trash in the street. Long live anti-litter litter art!
.jpg)
.jpg)
